#not up for drawing rn so this is my tribute for the moment

[sunnixsunshine]

Incoming Soldier! Headcanons inbound!

• Was born and grew up on a small failing farm in Kansas. When the Dust Bowl hit hard, destroying his family farm, he and his family packed up and moved to California.

• He doesn't necessarily remember this however. He knows Kansas is familiar to him, its just after the war he wondered around so much that he had a brain fart and forgot. After a while, when he got back to the states, he concluded New York was and always had been his home— despite not actually knowing his way around.

• "Jane Doe" is an alias he chose to go under. He thought he needed a code name. Thought his code name was cool. So he began to exclusively go by Jane Doe.

• He does not know his real name. Going by his alias, combined with many accidental and purposeful concussions, has caused him to forget.

• That and his memory never was the greatest to begin with.

• He met Merasmus when Merasmus posted a roommate ad on a poll. Soldier took the offer all because it had the photo of his castle and he just wondered around until he found said castle.

• "Why should I let you be my roommate?"

• "I have a shovel."

• "Okay...?"

• "And bunch if this paper stuff."

• "....sold. We're splitting the rent. Its rent time. Pay now."

• Autistic

• Does indeed have led poisoning, but thats just canon.

• Likes trains but has never actually been on a train. He just likes the whistle.

• Sometimes hangs out in the garage with Engie and watches him work.

• Has nicknames for everyone. Not very creative however.

• He came up with them the first day to help himself remember all of them while he tried remembering their class names.

• Spy is Maskie; Heavy is Big Guy; Engineer is Helmet Buddy; Medic is Nurse; Scout is either Son or Junior, he rotates between the two; Demoman is Pal; Pyro is Deputy; Sniper is Gunman.

• Started hording bread after the events of Expiration Date.

• Carries a cheese grader around for any spontaneous cheese grading purposes.

• Lactosentolerant but he fights through the pain and cries through the agony behind closed doors.

• "Soldier you cant. You will literally get sick, man."

• "Do not tell me I can and cannot do, private! I will drink this entire carton of milk and YOU will cry over it!"

• "Mediiiiic. Solly's doing it again. I ain't taking care of him this time."

• Hates it when things in his room are moved around without his permission.

• Surprisingly a neat person despite his personality. Bed is made military style. Clothes is neatly folded and put away according to clothes type. A giant American flag and an exact crayon copy of the Constitution are hung perfectly straight above his headboard.

• The crayon Constitution was made by Scout for Swissmas. And boy is Soldier proud of that obvious last minute gift that had too much effort put into it.

• Once for Demo's birthday he painted a mural on the side of the base. It was a smiling fish— he said it was Nessie but it wasn't; didnt stop Demo from calling it Nessie and saying it was perfect though.

• Unfortunately he painted it with relish and sour cream so they did have to clean it up before the insects got to it.

• Likes to stargaze.

• Specifically with Sniper. They very rarely hang out but when they do they stargaze and drink a little.

• Thinks Spy is actually Canadian trying to be American and French. He isnt insensitive. He wont call him out unless hes a spy.

• ....wait.

• Is a lawyer, marriage officiant, park ranger, was mayor of Tuefort for one hour at some point, used to sell money for beans at a zoo.

• Has no idea what he's doing 80% of the time.

• "Where am I!?"

• "My camper."

• "Why!?"

• "Because I invited you for coffee."

• "DONT LIE TO ME! YOU ARE A ROBOT! A ROBOOOOT!"

• "Mate, I am literally just sitting here."

#was working on demo hcs but then i heard about rick may's unfortunate passing #not up for drawing rn so this is my tribute for the moment #tf2 #tf2 soldier #tf2 solly #tf2 soldier heacanons #tf2 headcanons

[flaine]

Hi my love

Meant to send u a lil tune earlier but maybe you're still awake

I am in pain and also being dramatic about my lack of vb skills but friendo picked me up after practice and watched an episode of glee with me so I'm feeling a bit better :) also we watched theatricality today and she got to experience both the glory of bad romance gcv and the sheer horror that is the poker face gcv (and then I showed her my uht poker face art and she agrees that it would've been so much better. She has good taste)

Anyway it has inspired me to suggest another lady gaga song today: Alejandro! It's a banger and as a massive santana lopez enthusiast I strongly believe she would nail it 😔💔 the way we were robbed of a santana lady gaga cover with the rest of the uht n Cheerios backing her up :(( flaine I am so upset about it she would've done so well and we could've had an awesome dance performance with 3 icons in the lead :(((( maybe my mood is being influenced by my earlier humiliation and I'm being a tad more dramatic than usual but I could cry about this rn maybe it's time for me to draw a scene from the mv but with santana instead (except I still have not finished my current drawing so >:(( must do that first)

Anyway I'm going a lil crazy and I need to eat so. I will do that. But just know that I love u and I'm still very down to receive poetry in my inbox everyday if that's sth u wanna do 💞

hi angel 💞

i am unfortunately still awake despite having to get up for work tmrw!!! but here to check my phone b4 hitting the hay!!

i’m glad you’re feeling better :) but also since it’s been a sec since u’ve properly played it’s natural it’s gonna take some time to get back into it!! don’t be too hard on yourself !! (but i agree she seems like she has good taste !)

anyway!! yes!!! a certified banger!!! and absolutely one that santana would serve up on a dinner plate!!! there rly aren’t many solos in the gaga songs they covered huh… she deserved a moment she truly did. and honestly miss gaga deserved a proper tribute instead of two, like, half-tributes…

thank u for giving me a reason to listen to alejandro on repeat for a second and as always your brain is huge n i am certifying it a fact that this performance would’ve been legendary

ok i hope u have eaten n i hope it was good!! and maybe if i come across smth i think you’d like it’ll end up in your inbox :) love u!!!

#ask #md-drawz

[punk-rock-pixie]

1-100

I need to be careful what I ask for lmao

Spotify, SoundCloud, or Pandora?

Spotify

is your room messy or clean?

It’s messy rn just cuz I was looking for something

what color are your eyes?

Hazel

do you like your name? why?

Yeah. Picked it myself.

what is your relationship status?

single

describe your personality in 3 words or less

Really McFuckin Gay

what color hair do you have?

Black and blue

what kind of car do you drive? color?

Grey chevy cruz

where do you shop?

I’m a slut for Barns and Noble lately. Dropped $60 on classic ghost stories, Norse Mythology, and a Deathly Hallows journal. I’ve dropped over $100 literally in the last two months on books. I don’t work anymore though so that won’t be a thing anymore

how would you describe your style?

Sad college kid chic 

favorite social media account

Youtube

what size bed do you have?

Queen

any siblings?

One older sister.

if you can live anywhere in the world where would it be? why?

The Nordic region. They’ve been doing so much right in terms of education and gender equality. 

favorite snapchat filter?

The anime one

favorite makeup brand(s)

NYX, E.L.F. and Bare Essentials

how many times a week do you shower?

I shower every other day, but I wash my hair like every 3-4 days to keep the color in.

favorite tv show?

Currently, really love trollhunters. 

shoe size?

Like a 7 in mens or something

how tall are you?

5′6.5″ The half is so important to me because I’ve hardly grown since 2012 

sandals or sneakers?

Trick question- no shoes at all. Our feet get hurt like men.

do you go to the gym?

Rarely, but yes.

describe your dream date

Dear god. Almost any date I’d be okay with. Coffee? Sign me the fuck up. Hang around a park/go on a walk? Lemme get my heckin sneakers. Cryptid hunting in the wee hours of the night? You just won my heckin heart buddy.  

how much money do you have in your wallet at the moment?

Like $30-$40 I think????

what color socks are you wearing?

None sock

how many pillows do you sleep with?

Too many for my own good.

do you have a job? what do you do?

Not anymore :)))) There weren’t enough hours.

how many friends do you have?

How many friends? Many. How many close ones? Like 3-4

whats the worst thing you have ever done?

Something I’d rather not say.

whats your favorite candle scent?

Lavender always but peppercorn and pumpkin are the ones I’ve been using lately.

3 favorite boy names

Marshal

Ethan (NOT BECAUSE OF NESTOR)

Quinn

3 favorite girl names

Rose

Sadona

Rickie 

favorite actor?

Always and forever Chris Evans, but also Hugh Jackman found his way back to my heart recently. The Rock, Ramin Karimloo, Sean Gunn, Michael Rooker

favorite actress?

Zoe Saldana, Zendaya, Melissa McCarthy, Allison Janney, Julie Andrews, Maryl Streep.

who is your celebrity crush?

See above two questions, but mainly Hugh Jackman, Chris Evans, and Zendaya

favorite movie?

If you couldn’t tell, I’m hyperfixating on Greatest Showman, but also Book of Life, Monster in Paris, 1937 Phantom of the Opera

do you read a lot? whats your favorite book?

My favorite book is Dracula currently, but I also love Dodie Clark’s “secrets for the mad”, most of Shakespeare’s plays and Edgar Alan Poe’s works

money or brains?

Brains. 

do you have a nickname? what is it?

I have way to many dude.

how many times have you been to the hospital?

Like 7-8 I think???

top 10 favorite songs

In no order:

-I’m counting all of greatest showman as one

-Cat Stevens: Father and Son

-Raspberries: Go all the way

-Silver: Wham Bam Shang a Lang

-Babeo Baggins: Thunder Bird

-Dodie Clark: You

-Beatles: Wanna Hold Your Hand

-Vanessa Paradis and Sean Lennon: La Seine 

-Dear Evan Hansen: For Forever

-Karen O: Moon Song

do you take any medications daily?

No but I should probably get back on them.

what is your skin type? (oily, dry, etc)

Normal to oily

what is your biggest fear?

Abandonment :) Also I have claustrophobia

how many kids do you want?

I mean if we’re talking baby goats, as many as I can afford.

whats your go to hair style?

I kinda just brush my hair back and hope for the best

what type of house do you live in? (big, small, etc)

It’s not a mansion, but it’s pretty big

who is your role model?

@thatsthat24

what was the last compliment you received?

From @mild-soapog something about how I deserve a wholesome life and honestly I just love Elle???

what was the last text you sent?

“Hey, how are you feeling?” to a former coworker

how old were you when you found out santa wasn’t real?

I grew up Jewish so I never really thought it.

what is your dream car?

I don’t really care tbh. I’m pretty happy with the one I have.

opinion on smoking?

You do you just not around me cuz I will cough like a mad man.

do you go to college?

Soon

what is your dream job?

Professional film or stage actor or singer/guitarist in a band

would you rather live in rural areas or the suburbs?

suburbs

do you take shampoo and conditioner bottles from hotels?

Nope. I’m a good noodle.

do you have freckles?

Several

do you smile for pictures?

Yes, but only after make a bunch of stupid faces

how many pictures do you have on your phone?

659

have you ever peed in the woods?

Yes and uh 4/5 would not recommend 

do you still watch cartoons?

Yup

do you prefer chicken nuggets from Wendy’s or McDonalds?

Neither.

Favorite dipping sauce?

hek dude idk 

what do you wear to bed?

Usually like a tank top and underwear. if it’s super cold I’ll wear sweats too

have you ever won a spelling bee?

Have I ever even competed in one????

what are your hobbies?

Guitar, singing, ukulele, drawing, writing poetry

can you draw?

I’d say so

do you play an instrument?

Check hobbies with the addition of bass guitar

what was the last concert you saw?

I think it was a Beatles tribute band???

tea or coffee?

Both

Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts?

Starbucks

do you want to get married?

Honestly, first let me find someone local that will love me for more than 4 months

what is your crush’s first and last initial?

HJ, EJ, EN. 

are you going to change your last name when you get married?

You mean… IF I get married

what color looks best on you?

Blacks and purples

do you miss anyone right now?

Several people

do you sleep with your door open or closed?

usually closed

do you believe in ghosts?

Yes and no???

what is your biggest pet peeve?

chewing with your mouth open, snoring, pen clicking, leg jiggling (if it’s in my peripheral vision)

last person you called

My crush actually. He and I are friends and I asked if we wanted me to hang with him after school since he had to stay up until I had my callback scheduled

favorite ice cream flavor?

Chocolate chip cookie dough and cookies and cream

regular oreos or golden oreos?

What the shit are golden oreos

chocolate or rainbow sprinkles?

Rainbow cuz I’m queer

what shirt are you wearing?

 A black tank top

what is your phone background?

a greatest showman wallpaper

are you outgoing or shy?

it depends on the situation

do you like it when people play with your hair?

Yes but ONLY IF THEY ASK BEFORE HAND.

do you like your neighbors?

I don’t even know my neighbors

do you wash your face? at night? in the morning?

Both

have you ever been high?

nope

have you ever been 

Nope

last thing you ate?

Like half a pizza

favorite lyrics right now?

Idk my favorite currently, but these are the ones that keep circling my head

“When the world becomes a fantasyAnd you’re more than you could ever be‘Cause you’re dreaming with your eyes wide openAnd you know you can’t go back againTo the world that you were living in'Cause you’re dreaming with your eyes wide open

So Come alive”

summer or winter?

Winter

day or night?

Night

dark, milk, or white chocolate?

All????

favorite month?

October-November

what is your zodiac sign

Scorpio

who was the last person you cried in front of?

Honestly, I have no fuckin clue lmaooooo

#pixie interrogation #punkrockpixie #anonymous

[singokumaiden-blog]

@g33ki5ch1cuniverse *3* love ya

1. What game are you in to right now? - Samurai Love ballad party. Sometimes I play Star crossed myth too. But SLBP is life rn.

2. Who was your first route? - In Otome games it was Kota Igarashi, in SLBP it was bae i.e. Oda Nobunaga.

3. Who is your favorite friend character? - I love Naruko from HLIF. She is perverted and just so funny.

4. What route are you most excited for to be released?- Partheno in SCM. He is so pretty and his story is A+

5. What’s the best one-liner you’ve encountered so far? - Does my fav quote count? if so its “ For you, a thousand times over ”

6. Least thrilling route you’ve played? - Eisuke Ichinomiya.

7. Has any story made you actually cry? If so which one? - Huedhaut. And Kesnhin when he dies. And Saixo’s event stories. Well I am a crybaby.

8. Favorite sub-story or event story? - Claim me at last.

9. How do you pick which character route to do first?- I play all the first free chapters first and then decide. In slbp, I just went with nobu beacuse I saw him in the Pv and loved him.

10. How many otome apps are on your device right now? - 9.

11. Who’s your favorite character? - Oda nobunaga, Leon, Nozomu , Kiyoharu.

also @wizardesslover thanks for tagging *3*

1.    What’s your favorite voltage app right now and why? SLBP SLBP SLBP BECAUSE THE ROUTES ARE SO GOOD AND ITS FREE AND I LOVE THE EVENTS

2.    Who’s your favorite character? Oda Nobunaga

3.    What is your least favorite voltage app? first love diaries. found it rather boring.

4.    Who’s your least favorite character? Mistuhide. yup.

5.    Who’s your ultimate voltage OTP? SAIYUKKIN and Inu-Mc. Also Inu-Hide :9

6.    Who’s the hottest voltage character? - Leon. Dayuum that boi knows how to work it.

7.    Who’s your funniest voltage character and why? I find Nobunaga pretty funny. especially when he tries so hard to be sullen and ends up triiping or something. AHAHAHA. and saiyukkin ineractions are gold.

8.    Who is your favorite MC? - SLBP Mc and TLSL MC and HLIF MC

9.    What is your favorite moment with your bae? :3 - sitting on a tree together hands down.

10.  Kiss, Marry, Avoid. - kiss inu, marry nobu and avoid the village magistrate.

11.  Who’s route took you by surprise? - inuchiyo. didnt expect to like him this much.

@moonlight-nightingale AAAA daph thank u

1.How did you get into fandom? What was your catalyst to finding the Tumblr community? - I was following some otome blogs. I saw them tweet about slbp. and also ayumi/mioyaya. i followed her.

2. Favourite quotes from slbp ? I cant remember atm :’)

3.Which lords route do you like the most, and which one you dislike the most? Why?- Nobunaga. Beacuse he is ambitious, fierce yet compassionate and just. I could write an essay on why I love him. and I am not that fond of Mistuhide. Maybe because he is all rules rules and kind of too formal for me.

4.Other than slbp, what are you addicted to recently?-  Nescafe Chilled latte. I keep buying them XD

5. If you are living in the slbp universe, and you had been granted to have a power or special ability  (ex: invisible), what is your special ability? And what will you do with it?- to make someone happy. I’ll make everyone happy and try to stop the wars.

6.If you and your fav lord are chosen as tribute for your district to enter the Hunger Games, what will you do? Fight hard to keep both of us alive. And win.

7.Imagine you are a demigod, Whom daughter you think you are? (Ex: Poseidon,  Zeus, Hades) why ? probably Zeus. beacuse I am hella ambitious? haha.

8.If you are a voice actor, which lords do you prefer/want to cast as ? (Don’t need to be realistic ) Ieyasu. I wanna talk sweetly about how I will kill someone.

9.If you are granted 3 wishes, what will you wish for? 1.Be rich  2. learn how to draw well 3. never fall sick again

10.If you can meet your 10 yrs past self what will you tell to your past self? - Try to talk to people. Not everyone is mean. people generally want to be friends.

11.What do u think of me? You are so nice, and cute and friendly. I also love how hardworking you are. let me love you XD

[foodieworldmelbourne]

Beyond terracotta warriors: Artist provides antidote to simplistic, 'exoticised' idea of China

Updated May 25, 2019 14:15:07 Photo: Cai Guo-Qiang created 10,000 porcelain starlings for the NGV's winter exhibition, as a tribute to the Terracotta Warriors. (Supplied: National Gallery of Victoria/Eugene Hyland) Related Story: China's 2,000-year-old terracotta warriors to come to Australia Map: Melbourne 3000 Cai Guo-Qiang was a young man when he saw China's army of 8,000-odd terracotta warriors for the first time, but the impression was indelible. "I was taken away by the momentum and might of the presentation," he told ABC RN's The Art Show earlier this week. It's easy to imagine this being a formative moment for the artist, whose practice, in the subsequent decades, has been characterised by the same kind of awe-inspiring spectacle: firework displays and behemoth 'explosion events'; a 500-metre-high 'sky ladder' to the heavens that defied three attempts across two decades to execute before success in 2015. Photo: Cai Guo-Qiang has utilised digitally-enhanced fireworks to create precisely-timed displays. (Supplied: Cai Guo-Qiang) On Friday, Cai's exhibition Transient Landscape opened at the National Gallery of Victoria, within the exhibition Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality, which features eight of the life-sized warriors alongside more than 150 ancient Chinese artefacts, dating from the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BCE) through to the Han dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE). The two parallel exhibitions, coexisting in the one space, constitute this year's 'Winter Masterpiece' showcase at the NGV a blockbuster by gallery standards, if not quite at the scale of that thousands-strong ancient army. Photo: The terracotta army is comprised of approximately 8,000 life-sized figures, which vary in height, costume and hairstyle according to their rank and position. (Supplied: NGV) Contemporary take on ancient culture Why pair a contemporary artist with an exhibition of precious ancient artefacts? Curator Wayne Crothers explains, "We wanted to put them in a fresh new environment where they could be appreciated not only as historical things but as objects that relate to our visitor but also in dialogue with a contemporary, international Chinese voice". Cai (pronounced tsai) is possibly the only contemporary Chinese artist whose work is at a scale and level of ambition to stand alongside the terracotta army, which took more than 30 years and 700,000 workers to create and is sometimes described as the 'eighth wonder of the world'. He is also an artist whose output has been deeply informed by ancient Chinese culture, from Confucian philosophy and traditional customs to classical art and materials notably porcelain, silk and gunpowder. Infographic: In Chinese culture, fireworks have traditionally been used to celebrate and to convey certain meanings. (Supplied: Netflix) Nevertheless, he says that he typically gives a wide berth to projects like the NGV exhibition. "I tend to keep a distance from the exhibitions of Chinese artefacts, because often times this kind of exhibition falls into the category or the phenomenon of promoting an exoticised cultural 'other'," Cai says. "First of all, only using a few sculptures, you cannot show the energy of the inventory of the thousands of the terracotta warriors," he explains, likening the alternative to "the decorations in a Chinese restaurant". Even if you brought thousands of terracotta warriors here, he adds, "they can't show you what today's China is about". Photo: This Western Han dynasty belt plaque is one of more than 150 Chinese artefacts on show. (Supplied: Shaanxi Provincial Institute of Archaeology/NGV) That is where Cai steps in, with a suite of new works made specifically with the NGV's exhibition in mind. Among them are a flock of 10,000 porcelain starlings, and several of his behemoth 'gunpowder drawings', made by setting gunpowder-daubed canvases alight. The wall text accompanying the porcelain flock compares them to a "shan shui landscape brush and ink painting" of Mount Li the site where the terracotta warriors were unearthed by farmers in 1974. A quote from the artist suggests the flock "seems to embody the lingering spirits of the underground army, or perhaps the haunting shadow of China's imperial past". Photo: In Chinese writing, the number 10,000 represents 'eternity' or forever which is why Cai chose this number for his flock of birds. (Supplied: NGV/Eugene Hyland) "[But] I'm not only using [the birds] to comment and refer to the history of China," Cai tells the ABC. "[The birds] also represent today's China and its relationship with the world its speed, energy, complexities and uncertainties." "Chaos," he summarises, mimicking an explosion vocally and with his hands. Living in interesting times Cai has seen seismic shifts in China over his lifetime. In his formative childhood years, he lived in the port city of Quanzhou, Fujian province, in a community where Confucian-steeped customs and rituals (such as burning ghost money to honour ancestors) were part of daily life, and feng shui was taken seriously enough to affect urban planning. His father was an intellectual and a traditional Chinese painter. Their house was a gathering point for local artists. Then, when Cai was nine, Mao Zedong came to power, with a call to Cultural Revolution and the rejection of intellectualism and tradition. The boy helped his father burn all his books, in secret, at night. Nevertheless, Mao's anti-establishment agenda ultimately proved irresistible to many young people, including Cai. He has said that this experience was formative of his proclivity to question convention and buck the status quo. Later still, studying stage design at the Shanghai Theatre Academy in the early 1980s, Cai got a taste of China's heady opening up phase, with its attendant surge of experimentation. Though he moved to Japan in 1986, and the United States in 1995, he continued to undertake projects in China. And Cai still works there regularly including major government commissions for the 2008 Olympics ceremony in Beijing and the 2014 APEC Summit in Shanghai. Working within the system to change it In the Netflix documentary Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang, Cai speaks with some chagrin about working on the APEC fireworks display. "I wanted it to be more than just style," he says, explaining that the project was conceived to be environmentally friendly, to incorporate a video element, and to tell a story with a political element. "As a country, we no longer need to depend on bombastic ceremonies with thousands of performers, gongs and drums. Rather, I hoped we could engage people through a joke or a story." Photo: This 'explosion event' for the opening of Cai Guo-Qiang's Shanghai exhibition The Ninth Wave used biodegradable coloured powders. (Supplied: Netflix) In the film, footage from a meeting with party officials is overlaid by Cai detailing how his vision was stripped back piece by piece; compromise by compromise. "I feel awfully frustrated," he says. "I always worry about mixing art and politics. I put myself in a difficult position. But, as artists, can't we help change the system by working within it?" In Melbourne, at the NGV, he is reminded of a different system: the museum display of ancient objects that offers up, to use Cai's words, "an exoticised cultural 'other'". Photo: Terracotta warriors have previously been in Sydney twice (1983 and 2010) and Melbourne once (1982), when the NGV secured the first exhibition of the figures outside China. (Supplied: NGV/Sean Fennessy) "I'm very aware that these kinds of exhibitions are performing a mirage that is not true to life," says Cai. Consequently, he wanted to "dissect to the core of this project". The scalpel Cai wields in Melbourne, as elsewhere, is a kind of 'wonder', or poetry: he aims for the viewer to connect in an almost spiritual sense, rather than cerebrally "so that people feel that it's deeply relevant to themselves". Photo: Cai likens the mound of porcelain peony flowers, scorched with gunpowder, to "a burial mound of flowers". (Supplied: NGV/Sean Fennessy) "Even though the exhibition discusses China's past and present, I think when visitors come into the space with the birds, the first thing that will strike them is their own relationship with the artwork rather than 'What about China?'" "I've never tried to present a simplistic theme of China [in my art], but [rather] to reveal my true self and my relationship with the world, and to let people discover themselves and their relationship with the world." Photo: Heritage, featuring 99 life-sized replicas of animals, was commissioned for Cai Guo-Qiang's 2013 solo show at Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art. (Supplied: QAGOMA/Natasha Harth) 'A little boy who dreams big' Cai is the kind of big thinker and showman that the Emperor Qin Shihuang, who masterminded the terracotta army, might have approved of. Emperor Qin was nothing if not ambitious: at 13 he became head of his state; at 38 he unified China; at 49, when died, he had overseen the development of writing, the Great Wall of China, and a unified currency and measurements system. It is believed that even before he became emperor, he had begun planning and preparations for the vast underground necropolis that contained his eventual burial chamber guarded by the terracotta warriors. (According to Han dynasty historian Sima Qian, Emperor Qin's ironclad ambition extended to ordering that all the artisans be sealed alive within the necropolis, to preserve the secrets of its craftsmanship). Photo: Cai Guo-Qiang's 2008 exhibition Inopportune broke attendance records at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. (Keith Bedford: Reuters) Cai ascribes his own tendency to 'think big' partly to living through the Cultural Revolution: "I saw huge scale protests with thousands of people, I saw a certain sense of social ability, social movement," he recalls. But mostly, he says, it stems from a childhood imagination that he has never outgrown. "When I was very little I already started to think about the universe, and that's why Sky Ladder is 500 metres. At Beijing Olympics, I designed these big footprints it looks like a giant of history, but also an extraterrestrial life that's making its first steps on earth. One of the footprints was 150 metres long," he says. "It's all related to the dream of a little boy, who dreams big." Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of Immortality and Cai Guo-Qiang: The Transient Landscape runs until October 13 at NGV International, Melbourne. Topics:arts-and-entertainment,history,installation,sculpture,visual-art,contemporary-art,melbourne-3000,china,vic,australia First posted May 25, 2019 08:46:48 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-25/terracotta-warriors-and-cai-guo-qiang-exhibition-ngv-melbourne/11146078