If you haven’t been to Alcatraz in a while (or ever), now is the time to make the journey. The Ai Weiwei installations are a stunning new way to look at the decrepit fortress in the middle of the Bay. The ruins with their rusting steel are photogenic themselves, as are the views from the 15 minute ferry ride, but the interpretation of confinement by the Chinese dissident brings the 19th century prison into the 21st century as being a relevant symbol of freedom, and the lack of. Especially poignant is the fact that Ai himself is confined to China but was able to complete this project via Skype.

“The misconception of totalitarianism is that freedom can be imprisoned. This is not the case. When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill.”
— Ai Weiwei

Stop off at the Ferry Building and pack a picnic since there is no food on the island, and make a full day of it.

@Large Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz by the For-Site Foundation until Feb 2015. The installations are included in the $30 ferry ticket. Make reservations and go!

Also check out my talented goddaughter’s visual journal on our day at Alcatraz… so light and so beautiful. http://marinachristine.vsco.co/journal/alcatraz