Ai Weiwei at Alcatraz

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei knows about political censorship firsthand.  The winner of the 2012 Václav Havel Prize for Creative Dissent from the Human Rights Foundation, he is suppressed by his own government for his creative expression; Weiwei is not allowed to leave China for speaking out against its policies.  From his home in Beijing, he created an art exhibition for San Francisco's infamous former prison, Alcatraz.  

On a rocky island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz is often colder and windier than the city and its surrounding area.  It feels like a desolate place, and has held many criminals - including the infamous Al Capone.  While Weiwei's exhibit uses themes of incarceration and repression, he focuses on those who've been unjustly punished or imprisoned for their beliefs of freedom and equality.  

We went to visit the exhibit, which runs through April 26th, and would definitely recommend it - although not all of the visuals were as compelling as we had hoped, there is an incredible audio component, and the installations are thought provoking.

Learn more about visiting here.

We highly recommend this piece.  You can listen below:

The Night Tour at Alcatraz

We recently went on the Alcatraz at Night tour, something we've heard heaps of praise about for some time now. We've been before during the day, but the night version was a spooky start to Halloween celebrations. We would recommend the trip, and the audio tour, which really adds to the ambiance.

Leaving the city on the ferry at dusk

Sunset behind the golden gate bridge

Approaching the island

Disembarking - grafitti is still visible from the Native American occupation

The morgue

The cellblocks

A cell with standard issue items

Solitary

The library

Some of the cells as they might have been decorated 

The control room

The guard uniform

A model of the island

A spooky hand print

One of the decoy heads from the only escape that may have been successful

The operating instructions and lever for the cell doors

The dining hall and kitchen. 

Gas canisters in the ceiling ensured the inmates behaved.

The x-ray development room

The hospital wing

The operating room - definitely the creepiest spot on the tour

The lighthouse

City lights on the sail back

Full moon over the water