Sunflower Seeds

- Small porcelain pieces that are painted to resemble sunflower seeds.

- In order to make these "sunflower seeds," the workers get large boulders of clay and add water to create a proper texture for the porcelain. The porcelain was then poured into molds of sunflower seeds. These "seeds" are then fired, haindpainted by the locals from the town of Jingdezhen, and then fired again.

- The project is more successful as handpainted replicas because it's made by the people and holds more value; it's as if the Chinese population is being represented through these porcelain seeds.

- All the materials are handmade; the porcelain was taken from the Chinese earth, this gave the seeds strong ties to China and its people.

- The purpose of this installation is to protest against the oppressive government in China. If the seeds represent the people and their need for comfort and safety, the enormous amount of seeds he made conveys the message of how important it is for the government to focus on pleasing its people instead of harassing them.

- The sunflower seeds represent the Chinese people and are a symbol of comfort, security, and stability to the people during Mao Zedong's regime.