Workers (Gong Ren)
Encyclopedia
Workers is a book of 143 portraits of migrant workers who participated in the construction of the Olympic Green
in Beijing
, China
in the lead up to the 2008 Summer Olympics
. The book is the work of British artist Helen Couchman and consists primarily of photographs of the workers on the building site. The workers were photographed with the iconic buildings of the Beijing Olympics: The Beijing National Stadium
(国家体育场), known colloquially as the "Bird's Nest" (鸟巢), and the Beijing National Aquatics Center (国家游泳中心), also known as the "Water Cube" (水立方).
, England and Hong Kong
. Discussions of workers' rights have been raised in the context of this book, but it was not Couchman's reason for starting the project.
Olympic Green
The Olympic Green is an Olympic Park in Beijing, China constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, the streets around the park have been used for an exhibition street race of the FIA GT1 World Championship in 2011, after a race at Goldenport Park Circuit in the vicinity.- Beijing...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in the lead up to the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. The book is the work of British artist Helen Couchman and consists primarily of photographs of the workers on the building site. The workers were photographed with the iconic buildings of the Beijing Olympics: The Beijing National Stadium
Beijing National Stadium
Beijing National Stadium, also known officially as the National Stadium, or colloquially as the Bird's Nest , is a stadium in Beijing, China. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics.-History:...
(国家体育场), known colloquially as the "Bird's Nest" (鸟巢), and the Beijing National Aquatics Center (国家游泳中心), also known as the "Water Cube" (水立方).
Background
At the height of its construction, nearly 17,000 workers were involved in building the "Bird's Nest". Workers 工人 documents the human side of construction with worker portraits, information on the workers themselves, and details on how Couchman carried out the project. In December 2007, Couchman circumvented security on the Olympic construction site and was able to approach the workers about taking their pictures. . She later returned to the site with two copies of each photo, giving each of her subjects one copy to keep and asked the workers to write their name and hometown on the other. Couchman felt that the element of exchange was key to this project.Reception
In the book's introduction, British art critic Peter Suchin writes that the way Couchman positions the workers at roughly the same spot for each portrait suggests they can also be seen as "one single portrait, that of `the worker' engaged in the making of the Place of the Games ... the central focus, the essential signifier of the new Beijing". Photographs from this series were exhibited in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Discussions of workers' rights have been raised in the context of this book, but it was not Couchman's reason for starting the project.