On Wednesday, September 18th, Colby College had the privilege of hosting Alison Klayman, the director, producer and cinematographer of the acclaimed documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry. That night, a mixture of students and faculty filled the Bixler Art and Music Center auditorium in anticipation of this humanities censorship uncovered event. Two lovely leaders of the Student Art Committee began the night’s festivities by thanking multiple academic departments for collaborating with one another and making this event a reality.
When Alison Klayman was introduced, I was pleasantly surprised by her personable manner when she pulled out a camera and enthusiastically told us that she had to take a picture before people needed to leave, apparently the audience looks the best at the beginning. I found this approach humorous and joined the audience’s relaxed energy. This calm anticipation for the film would continue through the amusing anecdote revolving around cats.
The film begins with Ai Weiwei’s narration of his feline friends. Remarkably, out of forty cats, only one cat was able to open the door by jumping up and pulling the door handle down. Then, the cat would easily walk through without closing the door behind them. Ai Weiwei comments that if he had never observed this clever action, he wouldn’t have the knowledge that cats were capable of opening doors. This parallels one of the larger ideas that we must observe all variations of human nature to believe in our infinite potential, creating new outlets of expression.
As we are welcomed into Ai Weiwei’s world, a broad spectrum of indivduals including fellow artists, friends, followers and supporters of his conceptual master pieces provided testimonies of his character. Unbounded by a political party, Ai Weiwei does not create art within the system that governs but remains true to his own views of the world, conveying contradictions that challenge modern Chinese society. He remains unapologetic for the emotions that his work invoke from within his audience. The refreshing presentation of his art and the universal impact it has had cross culturally allows for the belief that Ai Weiwei has surpassed the sole role of an artist.
On May 12, 2008, Sichuan Province was devastated by an earthquake that killed thousands and left millions homeless. This tragedy became the driving force of Ai Weiwei’s campaign to bring justice to all the children who had lost their lives due to inadequate school bulding foundations. At this point, audiences are starting their exposure to the convulated thinking and difficult protocols that the Chinese government reinforces. The names of the children were not being released by officials, so Ai Weiwei and a few volunteers began the lengthy and time-consuming process of interviewing teachers and gathering information from indivduals who affected the childrens’ lives. They mounted all the names on a wall with various information such as school and birthday. Ultimately, this transformed into another demonstration of how truly advantageous the internet and techonology can be to artists when Ai Weiwei asked everyone to record themselves saying one child’s name and combining the multitude of voices into a heartbreaking soundtrack of death. If the names had continued playing for a little longer while scenes of the devastation filled the screen, the whole audience would have been crying.
One day in Ai Weiwei’s home, Klayman and her film crew ask if they can interview his mother. Instead of saying no, he suggests they interview any other mother and tell audiences that she is his mother. This emphasizes the playful nature that Ai Weiwei employs when there are underlying concerns. Due to his reputation of being a controversial artist, he has to consider the effects of his work on his family and those close to him. It was lovely seeing how much his wife and his mother’s son supported him. A heartwarming scene was when he was sharing food in the yard of his mother’s son’s house and he kept telling his son to feed him. His son couldn’t pick up food fast enough to feed Ai Weiwei and him self so Ai Weiwei was the only one eating most of the food.
During a dinner outside of a restaurant, Ai Weiwei’s supporters and fans slowly started gathering around the establishment in hopes of getting a picture of him and the film crew. As a crowd began assembling, police officers asked Ai Weiwei to move inside. He politely asked if he could finish the meal he was eating before retreating in doors. It was ironic when the police officers began recording all the actions of the dinner party; Ai Weiwei’s film crew began filming them. Thus, creating a humorous scene of the ones filming becoming the filmed. Apparently, police officers do not like having their own tactics used against you.
One day in Ai Weiwei’s home, Klayman and her film crew ask if they can interview his mother. Instead of saying no, he suggests they interview any other mother and tell audiences that she is his mother. This emphasizes the playful nature that Ai Weiwei employs when there are underlying concerns. Due to his reputation of being a controversial artist, he has to consider the effects of his work on his family and those close to him. It was lovely seeing how much his wife and his mother’s son supported him. A heartwarming scene was when he was sharing food in the yard of his mother’s son’s house and he kept telling his son to feed him. His son couldn’t pick up food fast enough to feed Ai Weiwei and him self so Ai Weiwei was the only one eating most of the food.
During a dinner outside of a restaurant, Ai Weiwei’s supporters and fans slowly started gathering around the establishment in hopes of getting a picture of him and the film crew. As a crowd began assembling, police officers asked Ai Weiwei to move inside. He politely asked if he could finish the meal he was eating before retreating in doors. It was ironic when the police officers began recording all the actions of the dinner party; Ai Weiwei’s film crew began filming them. Thus, creating a humorous scene of the ones filming becoming the filmed. Apparently, police officers do not like having their own tactics used against you.
In 2009, Ai Weiwei was unnecessarily searched and beaten while staying in a hotel in the middle of the night. He was supposed to testify on behalf of Tan Zuoren, a Chinese writer and activist, who was being prosecuted by the Chinese government for inciting rebellion among the citizens of China. His trial was the same day that Ai Weiwei was conveniently detained in his hotel room all day. In later days, the police brutally proved to be a serious health issue, and Ai Weiwei went to the hospital to get the above fluid removed from inside his head.
In 2011, Ai Weiwei disappeared. He was detained and imprisoned for months without contact to the outside world. However, his supporters and followers on social media continued his message. The silence of his voice only allowed the importance of his role within Chinese culture to be illuminated. ArtReview named him most influential Artist of 2011. Upon his release, Ai Weiwei had to abide by numerous restrictions and rules. This unexpected incarceration left him shaken and hesitant to continue producing thought-provoking art that challenged the Chinese government. Although not the lightest of films, at this point, the tone of the documentary took on a harsher reality. However, as time went on he slowly began thinking outside of the box, again toeing the line, surpassing boundaries. He continues to use social media as a platform of beginning conversation about the censorship and contradictions that are allowed to occur within Chinese government.
One of his many iconic sayings is, “Never retreat, Retweet.” During the discussion, the notion that Ai Weiwei couldn’t exist without the censorship and regulations in China surfaced. He not only uses the strict contradictions of the government to express himself and push boundaries but also thrives upon the trend of social media. He is an avid tweeter and constantly takes pictures accompanied with short phrases that force the audience to think about the injustices they accept everyday. Klayman tweeted the picture she had taken before the film, and a few days later it was acknowledged and retweeted by Ai Weiwei himself. How truly remarkable that media has allowed our discussion of censorship to penetrate the daily life of those who are the essence of not being silenced.
Alison Klayman with organisers Leilani S C Pao and Kristen Nassif
Alison Klayman and Kerill O’Neill, director for the Center for the Arts and Humanities at Colby College