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29 Jan – 8 Feb 2026

Beijing: The Third Ring

Ai Weiwei | China | 2005 | 110' | | IFFR 2012

A video document of the flows of traffic from two opposite direction on 55 bridges along Beijing’s ‘third ring’. The artist records a single, one-minute-long frame for each direction on the bridge. The entire piece is made up of 110 segments. The length of the film is 1 hour and 50 minutes.
As opposed to Beijing: The Second Ring, which was entirely shot on cloudy days, the segments of this film were all shot on sunny days.
The circular rings are important urban structural elements of Beijing. They govern the spatial organization of the city’s urban fabric. Like the Chang’an Boulevard piece, the act of recording is minimal, focusing on the process of pure observation and the nature of time. The film documents the city’s historic aspects and modern development, its nearly 13 million people, mass transport, and the urban reality that defines Beijing. (Ai Weiwei Studio)

Film details

Country of production
China
Year
2005
Festival edition
IFFR 2012
Length
110"
Medium/Format
File

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