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Conceptand FAKE A i Weiwei A i We iw ei CONCEPTand FAKE AI WEIWEI & JACQUES HERZOG are still on a trip, too. I traveled here to see this new build­ ing; it is very exciting to see so many people working for you. JH: But you don’t like our new building because it has space for an even larger army—as you call it. At least in quantity we can now compete with you. There are three hundred people here and you’ve only got fifty. AW: We are reduced to twenty; twenty is more than I can handle. I rem em ber when they said your nightm are will be when you walk into the office and somebody won’t know who you are. I am so happy your nightmare has become reality. JH: Yes, a large company could end in a real nightm are. We feel we have reached a lim it in size for the way we are work­ A i Weiwei & Jacques Herzog. (PHOTO: BICE CURIGER) ing. Pierre and I are currently very busy re-thinking our form of organization— how we want to work now, in five years, or AI WEIWEI: It is autum n, you feel somewhat sad? even in ten years. How many people and projects? The JACQUES HERZOG: A bit, yes—we haven’t m et for quite a company is as im portant a project as the architecture itself. while, actually since last April when you took us to this very AW: But there is too much excitement. So one building remote place, Ching-te-Chen, where Chinese porcelain has after another? (PHOTO: IWAN BAAN) been produced and painted for centuries. It certainly was a J H : Yes. different season with some very warm spring days. We AW: How many buildings are you going to build? learned about your new porcelain pieces and, of course, JH: Many of the things an architect envisions die before about the ancient tradition of Chinese porcelain, which ever being built. Sometimes even really interesting proj­ still seems to be very much alive. Traveling together like ects. This is perhaps paradoxically one of our driving that means a lot to Pierre and me, spending time together forces. You, Weiwei, you know how this m om ent feels when that is not planned time. I always find it a pity that we can’t things don’t materialize that you had in mind. You are tape some of our conversations. They’re often fresher and working as an architect and as an artist; you do furniture more spontaneous compared to situations like this one and many other things, some of which are bound to fail, where we have to produce something for a magazine. especially in architecture. You can tell, just like us, how AW: But you know this tape here is next to a river, the river much frustration lies in some projects—that one stupidly is moving like the tape, which means we are moving. So we starts to like, but which then don’t materialize. The Quing- dao Film Academy would have been an amazing thing to do JACQUES HERZOG , architect Herzog &: de Meuron. together and also thejinhua Masterplan. National Stadium Beijing, under construction, 2007. PARKETT 81 2007 122 123 Ai W e iw ei A i W e iw e i AW: B o th . AW: We stop today and make an announcement. I stop JH: And that’s why you want to limit your involvement in doing anything associated with art and you stop doing any­ architecture? Does that have to do with the fact that there thing related to architecture. I can be a dentist, you can be is too m uch friction and you lose too much energy? a hairdresser, okay? AW: No, either you really try to m aintain control, to make JH: A hairdresser—with my haircut? the best out of architecture, to make the idea become real­ AW: You would be bad obviously... ity, or you lose control and then you fail. It’s crazy. JH: You could switch sides... from artist/architect to client, JH: You have done a few buildings in which we were not becoming an important Chinese client commissioning involved at all, for instance, your brick buildings in Beijing, architecture. People keep asking us what it’s like to work as which I think are very successful. I say that without flatter­ an architect in China. We don’t really have an answer. W hat National Stadium Beijing, under construction, 2007. ing you—you are certainly the most talented architect would you say? How reliable are the Chinese, how good as (PHOTOS: IWAN BAAN) among the artists. The buildings are totally unpretentious, clients? The National Stadium seems to be turning into a which is very rare. They have something simple and ar­ great success in terms of architecture and also in its public chaic and that’s exactly their quality—they don’t try to be acceptance by the Chinese people. Here we certainly have more than this very basic thing of brick. no complaints about the reliability of the Chinese State as a AW: Because I do not have to prove to myself that I’m bet­ client! But, as mentioned, we tried to do lots of other ter than other architects. I am not in competition. things together and probably spent more time on other JH: And as an artist? Do you feel in com petition as an artist? projects together than on the National Stadium. I think it is AW: Not really, my art work ultimately comes from bore­ really a pity that those things did not go forward. Why do dom, I always feel bored about life so I have to do some­ you think this is so? thing sometimes and I never like my art works, you know. AW: To me it really hurts, we did our best, all the passion, Most of the time I am very ashamed when I look at them or all the energy, all the good will and all the good people you talk about them, but one day you become famous, which is put in there, too, and in the end it is a disaster, and they do also som ething I am not fighting for. not appreciate what you do. JH: Now you are pretentious (laughing)... I don’t believe JH: Did you also have architectural projects of your own you, really. that didn’t materialize? AW: (laughing) How can you believe me? Let’s prove it, I AW: My projects are okay, because I always accepted what stop doing art, you stop doing architecture: let’s do it today, happened. I told myself I am not an architect, I am a sol­ let’s make a test. We are just traveling together. dier in the wall, this is a crazy condition... It can be totally JH: That would be nice. disappointing, but I think you do so many interesting 124 125 Ai Weiwei Ai Weiwei things, you and Pierre are so tough in that respect, this is make a first move, a very intentional move... even a rough they are, how many there are, and you don’t know what become an active element of the urban condition in that great, it has always been an inspiration for me. Architecture or raw approach can be nice, so the Stadium really provides kind of strategy they are going to use. The whole time neighborhood. is a very complicated matter, you really have to go through a great lesson in losing control and making room for you worry, is this really going to be built? O f course once JH: But what if the government says we should put up a the whole discipline and the control has to be there, but im perfect craftsmanship—and in a very different culture... it goes into construction, you feel the emotion even more. fence around the stadium? whatever you want to create, you have to recognize the lim­ but still, we are successful. JH: W hen we started working on the Stadium design com­ AW: That won’t happen because—do you remember— its. I have to decide how m uch I want to design; most of my JH: There were many moments though, during the design petition, the first question for us was whether the Stadium there is this park where people are dancing, singing songs, work has been executed in China. I never did a building phase, where things could have gone wrong. Even after the should be a similar but larger version of the one we built in playing Tai-Chi. It will be an ideal location for people to that had to be perfect in every detail because this is impos­ tough meetings and negotiations Pierre had with the client M unich. Often a client wants you as an architect to copy or spend time in. sible and it’s not my main interest to do so. in Beijing, we didn’t know whether our detailing would be mimic work that he has already seen and likes. But you, JH: That experience was decisive. Anyone who hasn’t vis­ JH: But you said before that you were afraid to lose control. accepted. One key issue was the three dimensional bending Weiwei, said very clearly that it should be entirely different ited China cannot imagine how surprising it is to see peo­ AW: Ah, losing control is losing interest because you are of the steel trusses, which turned out to be very compli­ because the Chinese think differently and expected some­ ple really use public space and perform in it completely at detached from it.
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