A Shot in the Light

On August 8， 2014， in Shang- hai， the Huangpu River was bathed in drizzle. Spectators on the banks endured the moisture， waiting eagerly to see “fireworks” launch from a boat in the middle of the river. The drizzle died down by 5 p.m.， and daytime fireworks by Cai Guo-Qiang and his crew began lighting up the already lit daytime sky.

The anthropomorphic show， titled Elegy： Explosion Event for the Opening of Cai Guo-Qiang： The Ninth Wave， consists of three chapters： Elegy， Remembrance， and Consolation. “Elegy” kicks things off with heroic black-and-white and a waterfall of fireworks， like a funeral for a life， full of joy and sorrow. “Remembrance” follows， symbolizing memories with colorful smog， as days glide swiftly along. “Consolation”wraps up the show by expressing expecta-tions for warm passion for life with colorful and white “chrysanthemums.”

The show is intended to depict the theme of “death of nature” – with ritual“sentimental” fireworks conveying the artist’s concern for environmental protection.

The performance art of designer Cai Guo-Qiang only inspires more questions regardless of how much he and his associates try to explain it： Everything used in the show is environmentally friendly. The materials are non-toxic， composed of food pigment and powder and clothing pigment， which are harmless to people and the environment. Nevertheless， the internet still attacked the show， while many local residents， without knowing details， even assumed the event was an accident or terrorist attack.

“Today， more people are aware of the environment， haze in particular，” asserts Luo Jiaojiang， a sociology professor at Wuhan University. “Cai Guo-Qiang and his team should have explained the impact of his show in the first place. The rights of citizens should be protected： living environment， artistic creation， and freedom of speech. Society can hardly move forward in a healthy way unless everyone’s rights are respected and protected.”

Aside from the environmental impact， others just didn’t enjoy the show at all. “Cai created dual pollution in Shanghai： vision and air，” some claim. “Daytime fireworks don’t make any artistic sense.”

Cai and others consider the show modern performance art， a claim that has inspired significant debate. As a work of art， it has drawn wide attention， artistically and socially. It has been called both an art and a social event.

In a sense， it’s exactly what contemporary art is all about.

“Cai was lucky just to get scolded，”commented Lin Mingjie， an art critic， after watching the show. “Nothing alarming or worrisome happened after the show. Contemporary art is experimental. It is meant to inspire strong feelings. It will die if it’s not attacked.”

Everyone enjoys the right to blame and praise， as does an artist， who is bestowed the freedom of exploration， display， and interpretation. This is modern civilization. As for contemporary art， it doesn’t care much about success or failure. Its concern is creating a space for communication， respect of different opinions， and in this case， concern for the biosphere.

Regardless of what you have to say about it， the fact that you’re talking testifies to the daytime fireworks’ success.