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Artist locks himself in a box to protest China’s one-child policy

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Protest art or ingenious publicity stunt?

Why both, of course. At the Venice Biennale, artist Xing Xin has locked himself in a box for 49 days to protest China’s policy of one child per family. The iron box is 6 1/2 feet long by 3 feet high and 3 feet wide, according to reports. It features special contraptions to allow Xing to be fed and to relieve himself.

To help pass the time, Xing is counting the characters in the 150 books that comprise China’s nine-year compulsory education program. The box also features cameras that allow spectators to view the experiment on two outdoor televisions.

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Xing’s project, titled ‘The Black Box,’ is being funded by the Spazio Berengo, a new glass museum that is set to open later this year on Venice’s Murano Island. The artist has said that he plans to repeat the demonstration in a second box made of glass.

-- David Ng

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