The Olympics Was a Strange, Surreal Nightmare

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http://media.asiasociety.org/video/chinaboom/AW-TheOlympics.mp4
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It was even more disgusting than I had imagined.

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<p>I feel that on this issue, I am practically a genius. I immediately felt, as soon as I finished designing that crappy Bird's Nest, that it would become the site for a very disgusting event. It was instinctive, because I didn't know for sure that it would happen this way, nor did I wish for it. But as it turned out, my instinct was correct. It was even more disgusting than I'd imagined. I think today most people can understand my actions then, which at the time seemed very strange. They would ask, &quot;What's wrong with this guy?&quot;<br /> <br /> Of course, I'm talking about Chinese people. Because everyone who experienced the Olympics in Beijing, when they think back to it today, would agree that it's nothing but a nightmare. It's an extremely strange and surreal nightmare. It didn't, even nearly, have the effect that it should have had, because it wasn't a product of a democratic society. It did not lend any productive or creative power to social reform or democracy, it was merely used as a PR tool by a very corrupt political power.</p>
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Ai Weiwei talks about having designed the Bird's Nest and being appalled by the Olympics.