About
Silence Was Golden is an on-going global performance series. Across the world, performers chose a word or a short phrase that expressed something important or meaningful to them, and then spelled it out of golden letter balloons in relevant locations.
So far thousands of people have taken part, creating a global tapestry of self-expression. The project is open and free to participate.
To see every individual video, you can either use the map above or visit the archive below.
The project
This site-specific and participatory project gives individuals and communities the opportunity to express themselves on multiple platforms and to collaborate with others. The ultimate goal is to inspire people of all backgrounds to communicate through art and connect with one another through their unique expressions. The project subtly touches on pressing issues such as freedom of thought, freedom of expression, equal rights and more.
All balloons are re-used and recycled.
Who is behind it?
The entire project is financed by Public Delivery without any outside institutional or corporate sponsorship. This is a deliberate decision: Any external financial support has the potential to take away from the overall message. Silence Was Golden unfolds at a grassroots level and in equal partnership with performers around the world.
Background
Silence Was Golden is inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s readymades, turning everyday objects into art. It also drew upon Erwin Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures, which were very short and often funny-looking performances. Lastly, the core of the project was inspired by graffiti, using both bold letters and an audacious approach towards public space, frequently working without permission.
2015
•
Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, Taiwan -
Fairy Tales
2016
•
Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, USA -
Public Art Live
2017
• Public Art Festival:
Survival, Athens, Greece
•
World Humanities Conference (2017) by
UNESCO ICPHS (The International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences) &
UNESCO MOST (Management of Social Transformations), Liege, France
• Culture Open Source Forum 2017, Berlin, Germany
2018
• Screening 'Droits de l'homme' organized by Mémoire de l'Avenir in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris
2019
• Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, California, USA (upcoming)
• The Story Of Festival, Goa, India (upcoming)
• Pergine Festival, Italy (upcoming)
Afghanistan Kabul
Albania Kukës, Tirana
Armenia Yerevan
Australia Sydney
Austria Graz, Salzburg, Vienna
Bahrain Manama
Belgium Hallerbos, Verviers
Belize Corozal
Bosnia & Herzegovina Mostar, Sarajevo
Brazil São Paulo
Brunei Limau Manis
Bulgaria Sofia
Bulgaria Sofia
Cambodia Phnom Penh
Cameroon Limbe
Canada Banff, Edmonton, Toronto
Cape Verde Praia
China Bayingolin, Beijing, Bijie, Binzhou, Chengdu, Dunhuang, Guilin, Hangzhou, Hezuo, Hong Kong, Jiayuguan, Kunming, Longsheng, Menghai, Sanya, Shanghai, Tianshui, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiahe, Xiamen, Xishuangbanna, Xuchang, Yanoda Rainforest, Yinchuan, Zhangjiakou, Zhangye, Zhuzhou
Colombia Bogotá, Cartagena
Costa Rica Puerto Jiménez
Croatia Varaždin, Zagreb
Czech Republic Prague
Denmark Aabenraa, Esbjerg, Ribe
El Salvador Caserío El Coco
Egypt Matruh, Taba
Estonia Pärnu
Finland Turku
France Chalon-sur-Saône, Metz, Montbéliard, Nancy, Orléans, Paris
Germany Berlin, Bochum, Bonn, Bottrop, Bremen, Detmold, Dortmund, Duisburg, Dülmen, Düsseldorf, Essen, Freiburg (Kenzingen), Gelsenkirchen, Halle, Haltern am See, Hamm, Heidelberg, Herford, Herten, Hüttenberg, Kamen, Kiel, Köln, Ludwigslust, Mülheim, Münster, Oberhausen, Osnabrück, Tecklenburg, Teutoburg Forest, Wetzlar (Ehringshausen)
Greece Athens, Thessaloniki
Guatemala Antigua, Tikal
Holy See Vatican City
Hungary Budapest
Iceland Skagaströnd
India Ahmedabad, Bodhgaya, Kochi
Indonesia Bali, Batam
Iran Tehran
Ireland Dalkey
Israel Kirjat Schmona, Tel Aviv
Italy Alberobello, Lecce, Manfredonia, Milano, Paestum, Procida
Ivory Coast Abidjan
Japan Tokyo
Jordan Amman, Petra
Kazakhstan Almaty, Astana
Kiribati South Tarawa
Kosovo Pristina
Kuwait Kuwait City, Shuwaikh
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek, Töö Ashuu, Tosor
Laos Vang Vieng, Vientiane
Latvia Jūrmala, Riga
Lebanon Kfifan
Liechtenstein Vaduz
Lithuania Vilnius
Luxembourg Medingen
Malaysia Miri, Pulau Rawa
Malta Mdina
Mexico Chihuahua City, Ciudad Juárez
Micronesia Chuuk
Moldova Chișinău
Monaco Monaco
Mongolia Baganuur
Montenegro Kotor, Podgorica
Myanmar Yangon
Nauru Yaren
Netherlands Ketelhaven, Roermond, Zoutelande
New Zealand Dunedin, Raglan, Wellington
North Macedonia Skopje
Norway Kabelvåg, Skjervøy
Oman Maskat
Pakistan Islamabad
Panama Bocas del Toro, Paraíso, Pedro-Miguel
Paraguay Asuncion
Peru Machu Picchu, Tarapoto
Poland Warsaw
Portugal Porto
Qatar Singing Sand Dunes
Romania Constanța
Russia Moscow, Sochi
San Marino San Marino
Senegal Dakar
Serbia Pančevo
Singapore Singapore
Slovakia Bratislava
Slovenia Maribor
South Africa Lothair (Mpumalanga), Mooi River
South Korea Gangneung, Gwangju, Incheon, Jeongdongjin, Seoraksan, Seoul, Sokcho
Spain Barcelona, Figueres, Madrid, Portlligat
Sri Lanka Colombo
State of Palestine Jerusalem
Sweden Kiruna
Switzerland Grindelwald, Kandersteg, La Chaux-des-Fonds, Murten, Staad, Stoos
Taiwan Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taichung, Taipei, Tainan
Tajikistan Sarigon
Thailand Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Phanom, Nonthaburi
Turkey Ankara
Turkmenistan Yerbent
Ukraine Kyiv
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ra’s al-Chaima
United Kingdom Edinburgh, London
USA Alaska, Atlanta, Birmingham, Calimesa, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Coloma, Detroit, Disneyland, El Paso, Fredericksburg, Gaffney, Galveston, Hawaii, Hollywood, Houston, Iraan, Jackson, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Altos, Los Angeles, Manhattan, Miami, Miami Beach, Monterey, New Jersey, New Orleans, Newark, NYC, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Placerville, Portland, PortMiami, Primm, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, Tampa, Truth or Consequences, Valentine, Washington D.C., Webster
Uzbekistan Buxoro, Samarkand, Xiva
Vietnam Hanoi, Hội An, Nha Trang, Vịnh Hạ Long
By Push Forward and Celebrate History and Diversity with Untapped Cities | Untapped Cities November 9, 2016 - 4:04 pm
[…] project we participated in this past summer. Artist Martin Schulze brought his global art project, Silence Was Golden, to the Untapped Cities office (before we moved to the GSAPP Incubator @ NEW INC in the New […]
By New project: Public art project with the Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art - Public Delivery March 9, 2017 - 9:15 am
[…] Mariko Mori, Japan, Ahmet Ögüt, Turkey, Adrian Paci, Italy, The Propeller Group, Vietnam / USA, Public Delivery, South Korea, Wang Qingsong, China, Walid Raad, Lebanon, Cheng Ran, China & Item Idem, France, […]
By Why are these golden balloons all over Taipei? - Public Delivery April 3, 2017 - 3:01 pm
[…] Silence Was Golden – Snobs, Eslite Spectrum Songyan […]
By When people around the world express themselves with balloons | Teen Times April 19, 2017 - 10:47 pm
[…] express themselves with the word or idea they choose, posing with golden balloons. Imagined by the Public Delivery collective, this global initiative already brings together 255 performances in 181 cities […]
By Our highlights - 2017 #1 - Public Delivery June 17, 2017 - 3:01 pm
[…] More about the project […]
By Balloons hold babies, carry beer & create a tank October 30, 2018 - 6:27 am
[…] Public Delivery’s golden balloon project […]
By How do 37,000 inflated balloons look like when put in a museum? - Martin Creed October 30, 2018 - 6:47 am
[…] Public Delivery’s golden balloon project […]
By Gigantic breathing lotus flowers by Korean artist October 30, 2018 - 7:00 am
[…] Public Delivery’s golden balloon project […]
By Gigantic inflatable sculptures occupy park in Hong Kong October 30, 2018 - 8:07 am
[…] Public Delivery’s golden balloon project […]