shan shan sheng's the 'open wall project' at the venice art biennale, makes suggestions to the contemporary opening of china to the global economy and stands as a place for the unprecedented exchange of ideas. the sculpture which is meant to be a reconstruct of the great wall of china, indicates moments of transparency and opacity, marking this critical intersection of chinese and western culture.
located along venice's historic grand canal, the temporary pavilion is made up of 2,200 stacked glass bricks, each brick represents the number of years which it took to build the great wall. the glass blocks become a kind of cultural currency which can be moved, redistributed, subtracted and added duration of the installation, expressing the transitory process of globalization.
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/7025/shan-shan-sheng-open-wall-project-at-the-venice-art-biennale-09.html
