Ai Weiwei

Chinese architect Ai Weiwei was detained at an airport in China in early April and is still locked up without charge. BD Online surveys the attitudes of architects working in China on the arrest.

Will Alsop:

“I think [the arrest] is very unfortunate and I am sure that sense will prevail. He is obviously a special person and needs to be contributing to the general debate and giving us things to enjoy. I don’t want to go further than that for the same reason as the rest of the architects… I am going to China next week. They might think ‘we’ll have him’ or they might not let me in.”

BD Online (2024: paywalled)
Free Ai Weiwe (web archive)i

27.5.11 A related op-ed at archinect, asking what, if anything, the profession can do. For how long can it continue to be business as normal?

31.5.11 Guardian article

Posted by Peter on 24.05.11 in architects