Wearable sculpture – Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei took the world by surprise with the launch of his collection of jewelry in London. Resembling reinforcing bar used in construction, the unique 24kt gold bracelet “Rebar in Gold” is designed in various lengths, 60cm and 20cm.
“It’s about commemoration and memory,” he says Weiwei. “Whether that’s your memory or the one I have, that’s up to you, so you mold the piece to suit you. I used gold because it’s precious, and that’s what life is — precious. If you wear this piece in the name of the memory of a life lost or your life ahead, that’s what matters. It’s all about respect for life.”
Ai Weiwei’s Rebar in Gold collection, is on view at the Elisabetta Cipriani gallery, 23 Heddon Street, London, ranging in price from about $34,000 to $69,000 USD for those interested in acquiring them.
Watch the video below to see Ai Weiwei shaping the rebar in gold into a bracelet in his studio in Beijing.
[ Via: New York Times ]
