"Sunflower seeds" 2010 consist of millions of hand-made sunflower seeds. This work has a volume of nearly ten cubic meters and weighs about ten tons. The artist has defined two different styles for the work. Ai WeiWei arranged the seedes in continuous squares up to a depth of ten centimetres, the seeds corresponds to the size of the display space. It allows the audience to walk over and interact with the work.
"the times I grew up, it was a common place symbol for The People, the sunflower faces the trajectory of the red sun, so must the masses feel towards their leadership. Handfuls were carried in pockets, to be consumed on all occasions both casual and formal. So much more than a snack, it was the minimal ingredient that constituted the most essential needs and desires. Their empty shells were the ephemeral traces of social activity. The least common denominator for human satisfaction. I wonder what would have happened without them?"
(Ai Weiwei, unpublished proposal for Tate Modern Unilever Series, March 2010.)

The sunflower seeds are made in a town called Jingdezhen which takes around 1600 people to make according to the quantity. The sunflower seed symbolizes the ordinary people loyal to Mao Zedong's party, he ruled as the Chairman of the Communist Party of China. Whenever Chairman Mao comes out, there are sunflowers around him which means Chairman Mao is the sun. "Sunflowers supported the whole revolution, spiritually and in materials ways"

For me, I find this work very toughing as the seeds are the embodiment of Chinese people yet an output by the chinese people. They form into one massive body but looking individually, they look completely different with different identities. Sunflower normally face towards the sun however, these seeds will never bloom as they are artficial, their purpose has been stripped off as it was for the people who made them which is Ai WeiWei in this case. 

the safety pin, despite its sharp and potentially hurtful point, provides a means of support. She has commented: ‘I like the idea of the safety pin ... it is dangerous, but it holds up my whole attire. Safety pins can keep things together ... they can prevent catastrophe ... It is conversion of something aggressive and mean into something acceptable.’ (Quoted in Wye, p.23.)

"Safety pins function variously as thread, yarn, clay or truss in my work process. I found them soon after I arrived from Japan, out of the necessity to shorten all-too-long American clothing. I noticed their smooth texture and their head- and tail-like details. In the beginning, I found ways to interlock them, as if weaving. I found constructing systems as I went along, using only the inherent structural properties of the pins, and now can create anything from "drawings" to three-dimensional, self-standing works." Tamiko Kawata

Guerra de la Paz (GdlP) is a collaboration between Miami-based, Cuban-born artists Alain Guerra and Neraldo de la Paz. Over the past two decades, GdlP has transformed the castoffs from our collective wardrobe into poetic works that deliver powerful political and environmental messages. They explore the expressive qualities of discarded textiles, a journey that has produced an impressive array of dynamic sculptures and tactile installations. GdlP infuse their work with a thoughtful mix of caution and hope                             Mort 2010 Guerra de la Paz, found garments and shoes, fold-out bed, wood, dimension

"The use of clothing in our practice is a product of the classic case of being in the right place at the right time. We were once surrounded by export businesses that would cast-off thousands upon thousands of rejected items on a regular basis. They would allow us to rummage though and collect as much as we desired, providing us with a sea of salvaged materials that have guided our concepts."

I really like the concept of this artist and it sparks my interest in fast fashion and how can we make a change. This leads me to do deeper research on fast fashion and what effect does it have on the environment.  

As time flies, the technology gets more advanced. We can now see how many steps we walk per day, see our heart rate, track our menstrual cycle. For me, I use the counting steps tool the most to see if I am physically active and whether or not I should change my lifestyle in order to be more healthy. My average steps per day are around 5000-6000 but when I am on vacation it can go up to 10000 steps.  

I have this account on instagra