Brown Pelican Group First to Bring Public WiFi to Alcatraz for @ Large: Ai Wei Wei on Alcatraz Exhibition

San Fransisco, California, October 16, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Brown Pelican Group (http://brownpelicangroup.com/), has installed Wi-Fi capabilities on the island to support the art exhibition, @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz. 

"Visitors on Alcatraz coming to experience this incredible exhibition will be able to share what they see live, in real-time from the island, on social media platforms, blogs, text and photo messages. Brown Pelican Group is privileged to be part of such an important exhibition," said Marybeth Hall, President of Brown Pelican Group. This is the first time that internet connectivity will be available to the public from this historic landmark.

"Visitors on Alcatraz coming to experience this incredible exhibition will be able to share what they see live, in real-time from the island, on social media platforms, blogs, text and photo messages. Brown Pelican Group is privileged to be part of such an important exhibition,"

Marybeth Hall, President, Brown Pelican Group

@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz (http://www.for-site.org/project/ai-weiwei-alcatraz/), features seven installations in four locations within the Alcatraz buildings, and includes sculptures, sound installations and other mixed-media work. All of the pieces were created by Ai Weiwei in his studio in Beijing, and transported via air, land and sea to their final location. Some of the pieces are featured in areas of the former prison that have not normally been open to the public: the New Industries Building, A Block, and the Hospital Wing.

Ai Weiwei, now 57, is China’s most controversial, internationally famous artist. His work is being brought to Alcatraz by FOR-SITE Foundation in partnership with the National Park Service and the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Ai Weiwei himself has never seen the finished work. Because of Ai's vocal criticism of the Chinese government, he was secretly detained by authorities for 81 days in 2011 on charges of tax evasion, and is still not permitted to leave China. @Large holds even more meaning due to Ai's personal experiences with incarceration, and was designed to prompt visitors to consider the implications of incarceration and the possibilities of art as an act of conscience.

In order to bring Wi-Fi to Alcatraz, affectionately referred to as "The Rock", Glenn Hall, Chief Technical Officer at Brown Pelican Group, and his team, have been creating a strategy for this project for months, and have spent 4 consecutive weeks on the island installing their specialized gear to bring a bit of the 21st century to a landmark that is rich in history dating back to 1775. "In all of the years we have been providing Wi-Fi and technology for events around the world, I never would have thought we would have the honor of being part of such an important historic event on Alcatraz," said Hall. "We are really looking forward to seeing @Large being shared all over the internet. We’re fortunate to partner with WiLine Networks, who are providing broadband connectivity to the island by beaming a microwave signal from the top of the Fairmont Hotel to an antenna on the roof of the Cellhouse."

Jackie von Treskow, FOR-SITE Foundation Program Director, is enthusiastic about the benefit of bringing public Wi-Fi to the exhibition. "Communication is an important aspect @Large, and of Ai's artistic practice overall. FOR-SITE is very excited that, through WiFi, we're able to offer visitors a way to further the conversations generated by @Large beyond the walls of Alcatraz. Brown Pelican Group's experience bringing WiFi connectivity to complex environments made them an obvious choice for this considerable undertaking."

@Large: Ai Weiwei opened September 27, 2014 and runs through April 26, 2015. It is open to the public, and entrance to @Large is included in the regular Alcatraz Island tour ticket price, $30 for adults and $18.25 for children. Go to http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/ to purchase tickets.

About Brown Pelican Group:

Brown Pelican Group is a San Fransisco based provider of Event Wi-Fi and Technology Solutions. Their dedicated Wi-Fi  services and technology have been used at high-profile events including: a Google interactive art exhibition at the 2014 TED Conference in Vancouver, TEDMED 2014 in San Francisco, DropBox 2.0 press conference, T-Mobile Shakira concert in Bryant Park, Airbnb One event, Samsung press conferences and road shows, and more. They specialize in creating a customized solution for events using dedicated and secure Wi-Fi and geo-fencing technology. For more information, please visit (http://brownpelicangroup.com/)

Contact:

Marybeth Hall

Brown Pelican Group

[email protected]