Silence Was Golden is the first art project to happen in every country of the world. It makes art available to anyone on the planet.
356 performances in 264 cities in 89 countries (46% of the world’s countries)
Map of performances
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(+) About
About
Silence Was Golden is an on-going global art project centered around words or short phrases made out of golden letter shaped balloons, chosen by performers to express themselves.
The project invites people everywhere to use art in their daily lives. Public Delivery then shows this project in art institutions internationally to bridge the gap between institutions and people.
The project is open and free to participation, aiming to complete performances in every country of the world.
The project
This site-specific and participatory project gives individuals and communities the opportunity to express themselves on multiple platforms and collaborate with others who may or may not have a professional art background. This project is open to everyone and therefore works to help people appreciate and engage in visual art. The ultimate goal of the project is to have an open, free, global participatory collection of works while inspiring people of all backgrounds to communicate through art as well as connect people from all backgrounds.
Balloons are re-used and recycled.
Background
Silence Was Golden is inspired by Marcel Duchamp’s readymades, turning every day objects into art, Erwin Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures, very short and often funny looking performances and lastly by graffiti, using both bold letters and an audacious approach towards public space, frequently working without permission.
To see every individual video, visit the archive. Please allow time for the page to load.
(+) Take part
Join the project for free. We provide the material.
(+) Exhibitions / Workshops / Screenings
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
• Hubei Museum of Art, Wuhan, China (upcoming) • Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History, California, USA (upcoming)
• The Story Of Festival, Goa, India (upcoming)
(+) Locations of performances
Afghanistan Kabul
Albania Kukës, Tirana
Australia Sydney
Austria Graz, Salzburg, Vienna
Bahrain Manama
Belgium Verviers
Bosnia and Herzegovina Mostar
Bulgaria Sofia
Cambodia Phnom Penh
Cameroon Limbe
Canada Banff, Edmonton, Toronto
Cape Verde Praia
China Bayingolin, Beijing, Binzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dunhuang, Guilin, Hangzhou, Hezuo, Hong Kong, Jiayuguan, Kunming, Longsheng, Menghai, Pu’er, Sanya, Shanghai, Tianshui, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xiahe, Xiamen, Xishuangbanna, Yanoda Rainforest, Zhangjiakou, Zhangye
Colombia Cartagena
Croatia Varaždin, Zagreb
Czech Republic Prague
Denmark Aabenraa, Esbjerg, Ribe
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
Holy See Vatican City
Hungary Budapest
Iceland Skagaströnd
India Bodhgaya
Indonesia Batam
Ireland Dalkey
Israel Kirjat Schmona, Tel Aviv
Italy Alberobello, Lecce, Manfredonia, Milano, Paestum, Procida
Japan Tokyo
Jordan Amman, Petra
Kazakhstan Almaty, Astana
Kiribati South Tarawa
Kosovo Pristina
Kuwait Kuwait City, Shuwaikh
Kyrgyzstan Bishkek
Laos Vang Vieng, Vientiane
Latvia Jūrmala, Riga
Lebanon Kfifan
Liechtenstein Vaduz
Lithuania Vilnius
Luxembourg Medingen
Macedonia Skopje
Malaysia Pulau Rawa
Malta Mdina
Mexico Chihuahua City, Ciudad Juárez
Micronesia Chuuk
Monaco Monaco
Mongolia Baganuur
Montenegro Kotor, Podgorica
Myanmar Yangon
Nauru Yaren
Netherlands Roermond, Zoutelande
New Zealand Dunedin, Wellington
Norway Vågan
Oman Maskat
Pakistan Islamabad
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)
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 Dushanbe
Thailand Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Phanom, Nonthaburi
Turkey Ankara
Ukraine Kyiv
United Arab Emirates Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ra’s al-Chaima
United Kingdom Edinburgh, London
USA Alaska, Atlanta, Birmingham, Calimesa, Charlotte, Chicago, 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 Xiva
Vietnam Hanoi, Hội An, Nha Trang, Vịnh Hạ Long
(+) Progress Map
All countries
Countries done:
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 […]