Jointed Stool 2006

This 'Jointed Stool' was made by Ai Weiwei, and it's all about how things connect, or maybe, how they *don't* quite connect. It's hard to tell what's going on at first glance, because you're immediately thrown into a world of legs, seats and supports all interwoven together, pushing you into this chaotic, disorientating space. It's like the artist is messing with our expectations of how a simple, everyday object should behave. You can really see the texture and grain of the wood in the legs, and it's easy to imagine the artist carefully selecting each piece. There's this one stool leg, right at the edge, where you can see the colour is slightly darker, almost stained, as if it's been through something. This detail reminds me of Robert Rauschenberg, who would often incorporate found objects into his work, using them to tell stories and spark new conversations. It makes you think about the history of each element. Ultimately, this sculpture celebrates the unexpected and the transformative possibilities that emerge when we dare to question the conventional.