Toy Story: Michael Wolf
Michael Wolf, a Hong Kong based photographer:
“The Real Toy Story”, an installation by Michael Wolf,
shown at the John Batten Gallery, Hongkong
Some background information about the installation:
China produces 75% of the world’s toys
The project was conceived in the spring of 2003 during a visit to the United States. As a surprise for my son Jasper, I bought a sack (app. 600) of second hand toys at the local goodwill store and distributed them on every available surface in his room – surprise! The effect was stunning. As we examined the toys closer we made a discovery – every single one was made in China. Jasper observed: “I thought Santa and his helpers made toys!” It was then the idea came to me: what if I was to make an installation and cover an entire wall with toys “made in China? and juxtapose them with portraits of Chinese toy-factory workers?
In the spring of 2004, I returned to the United States, rented a van and traveled throughout California, visiting all the second hand shops along the way and hitting the flea markets at the weekends. My criteria: that each toy must have a face, and had to have been “made in China”. After 30 days, 2000 miles, and hundreds of shops and fleamarkets later, I had collected app. 20,000 toys. They were packed and shipped to my studio in Hong Kong. There, I proceeded to sand down the back of each toy creating a flat, rough surface onto which I could glue strong magnets.
The idea was to cover a gallery or museum wall with thin metal sheets and then attach the magnetized toys. The magnets are a practical solution to allow me to move the toys around the walls and give me flexibility in the way I build the installation.
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