The fantasy we had with pearls was always so luxurious and unique with a kind of rareness.
Ai WeiweiThe idea to use backpacks came from my visit to Sichuan after the earthquake in May 2008. During the earthquake many schools collapsed. Thousands of young students lost their lives, and you could see bags and study material everywhere. Then you realize individual life, media, and the lives of the students are serving very different purposes. The lives of the students disappeared within the state propaganda, and very soon everybody will forget everything.
Ai WeiweiChina is at a different stage of development, human rights are violated here much more often. And still, we see improvements even here.
Ai Weiwei