(CNN) -- Visitors to the Tate Modern gallery in London on Friday have been stopped from walking on a porcelain sunflower seed art installation by the maverick Chinese artist Ai Weiwei.
Members of the public had previously been encouraged to interact with the installation by walking among and handling the 100 million hand-crafted porcelain seeds.
But Tate officials now say that walking on the artificial seeds, which lay in an inch-thick carpet in the gallery's massive Turbine Hall, has generated more dust than expected.
"Although porcelain is very robust, the enthusiastic interaction of visitors has resulted in a greater than expected level of dust in the Turbine Hall. Tate has been advised that this dust could be damaging to health following repeated inhalation over a long period of time.
"In consequence, Tate, in consultation with the artist, has decided not to allow visitors to walk across the sculpture," the statement by Tate Modern said.
The installation is still open to the public, who can view the replica seeds from a first floor platform.
A spokesman for Tate Modern told CNN that the public are unlikely be allowed to interact with the exhibit again.
This is not the first time the gallery has experienced problems with an exhibit in the Turbine Hall.
CNN
