Boom Boom Pow!
Ignition time: Watch the replay of gunpowder artist Cai Guo-Qiang's artisticexplosion
Photo by Everett Taasevigen
Click here to watch the livestream replay of Cai Guo-Qiang's artistic explosion.
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The countdown is nearly complete.
After several days of preparation with the help of more than 100 volunteers, Cai Guo-Qiang will make last-minute touches to his Odyssey project tonight at a warehouse near the Astrodome and ignite the gunpowder to create a work of art that will frame the new Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Arts of China Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Here's a breakdown of activities:
- The livestream of Cai's project begins on CultureMap at 5 p.m. Cai will give instructions to volunteers about the state of the drawing and what will happen as he makes final preparations for ignition.
- At 6 p.m., 500 guests begin arriving at the warehouse to observe the ignition. Once they are settled on bleachers lining the project, Cai will welcome guests, through an intepreter, and explain what he plans to do.
- He will ignite the gunpowder on stenciled drawings on the 42 panels, which stretch the length of two basketball courts, anywhere between 6:15 and 7:15 p.m.
- It will take six seconds to ignite the drawings on the 42 panels.
- Once the smoke settles, he and his team will strip away the cardboard stencils, leaving the finished piece of art.
- Afterwards, volunteers will gather with Cai for a group photo.
The panels will be transported to the Museum of Fine Arts on Friday. The gallery will open to the public Oct. 17.
If you miss the ignition live, CultureMap also has you covered. A few minutes after the livestream ends, a replay that begins with Cai's remarks and runs through the ignition will be shown in a loop on the Cai Odyssey page. You'll be able to catch anything you missed or relive the explosive art moment.
