CITY Issue 56

////// ACTION Beijing Blast FIREWORKS: CAI GUO-QIANG Olympic opening and closing ceremonies are usually a mixture of art, pomp and — let’s face it — cheese, meant to honor the legacy of the games and showcase the host country. But along with cutesy costumes and gaudy floats are often moments of arresting beauty. Just think of the flaming arrow that lit the Olympic cauldron in Barcelona in 1992, or a Parkinson’s-afflicted Muhammad Ali holding the torch aloft in Atlanta in 1996. This summer’s Beijing games may well offer the most explosive production value yet, thanks to Chinese-born, New York–based artist Cai Guo-Qiang, director of visual and special effects for the ceremonies. Known for creating gunpowder drawings and intricate explosion events in which buildings and landscapes seem to explode in the night, Cai is working with filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) to create something spectacular. While Cai has been tight-lipped about his intentions, his retrospective at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, “I Want to Believe,” offers clues. (The exhibition closes in New York on May 28 before moving to Beijing in August.) The show’s signature piece features seven white Chevrolet sedans, infused with flashing lights to evoke explosions, dangling from cables in the atrium. Videos show the power and scope of Cai’s explosive artworks: paths of specially prepared gunpowder snake around the Great Wall of China, the Tate Modern museum, and other famous buildings, releasing fire, smoke, and beauty. Destruction, Cai believes, is part of the creative process. Though months away, the ceremonies are already proving to be explosive, albeit in other ways. Steven Spielberg, who was to serve as an artistic advisor, withdrew because of China’s role in Darfur. And the uprising in Tibet has caused worldwide concern: German officials are boycotting the ceremonies, and in March House Speaker Nancy Pelosi encourage President Bush to do so, as well. Many other countries and athletes are also considering whether to take action. Art fans and Olympic organizers alike can only hope further conflict doesn’t cause the ceremonies — or the games themselves — to blow up in their faces. — SAMUEL T. CLOVER Go to www.caiguoqiang.com /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Get Smart BOOK: SIDEWAYS, A SMART ART PROJECT Bring together the works of 100 international artists and creative minds and you’re bound to get something smart — really smart. Berlin publishing house Gestalten Verlag partnered with smart, the manufacturer of some of the world’s smallest and most environmentally friendly cars, to produce Sideways, A Smart Art Project. Steven Klein, Terence Koh, Hanna Liden, and other notable artists tackle issues relating to the environment and mobility through their photography, illustration, graphic design, painting, sculpture, architecture, and styling. The book ($47) was first introduced in March to New York audiences, and is now available in bookstores, museum shops, and on Amazon.com. — RL FIREWORKS: CAI GUO-QIANG, TORNADO: EXPLOSION PROJECT FOR THE FESTIVAL OF CHINA, 2005; PHOTO BY HIRO IHARA, COURTESY CAI STUDIO. LEFT: HENRIKE STAHL, SMARTZWALD 26 CITY TY http://www.caiguoqiang.com http://Amazon.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CITY Issue 56

City Issue 56 Contents Letter from City: Re: Design Our Friends: The Faces Behind the Stories Action: What's New, What's Hot, What's Now Wanted: Olympic Bound? Button Up City Moment: The Writing’s on the Wall How We Live: Concrete Jungle Fast Food: Bites of Spring The Amused Bouche: Blueprint Special In Rouge: Hero Worship Fashion: Welcome to the Boys’ Club Travel: My Pod Architecture: Out of the Blue Design: Home Remedies Tokyo Rising Zen and the Art of Catholicism Think Big Face Value Runaways Intimate Relations Where to Buy It: Store Locations Icon: The Infinity Pool

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