“I wanted to investigate both the destructive and the constructive nature of gunpowder, and to look at how destruction can create something as well.”

Cai Guo-Qiang (b. 1957). Extension, 1994. Gunpowder on paper, mounted on wood as 12-panel folding screen, 236 x 1,560 cm overall. Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo

Cai’s drawings made by igniting gunpowder explosives laid on paper constitute a new medium of contemporary artistic expression. Like his explosion events the gunpowder drawings convey his central idea of using natural energy forces to create works that connect both the artist and the viewer with a primordial state of chaos, contained in the moment of explosion. They also demonstrate his central interest in the relationship of matter and energy. Matter (gunpowder) explodes into energy and reverts to matter in another state (the charred drawing). In this way these works are charts of time, process, and transformation.

To create the drawings Cai places sheets of specially made paper on the floor and then arranges gunpowder fuses and loose explosive powders—and sometimes cardboard or paper stencils are also used—to create silhouetted forms over the paper’s surface. Here and there, he lays wooden boards to effectively disperse the patterns resulting from smoke and the impact of the explosion. He then weights all these elements in place with rocks to intensify the explosion. Once the setup is completed, he ignites a fuse at one end of the work with a stick of burning incense. Then, with loud bangs, the ignited gunpowder rips across the surface of the paper, lighting the array of explosives according to its designated pattern and engaging artist and onlookers in a momentary encounter with the spectacular power of explosive destruction. A second or two later, the paper lies in clouds of acrid smoke. Assistants run to stamp out any embers with rags. Finally, the drawing is removed from the floor and hung up vertically for the artist’s inspection.

Extension (1994), like many of the gunpowder drawings, is inspired by one of Cai’s large-scale explosion events, in this case, Project to Extend the Great Wall of China by 10,000 Meters: Project for Extraterrestrials No. 10 (1993), for which Cai ignited a line of fire—evocative of a dragon gliding across the land—using 10,000 meters of fuse extending from the end of the Great Wall into the Gobi Desert. The drawing is mounted on 12 oversized panels, and the viewer must walk along the length of the work to fully experience it. The panels of the folding screen are displayed in a pattern that shifts the perspective of the drawing in and out, mimicking the peaks and valleys of the Great Wall while also suggesting, as does the wall itself, the undulating body of a dragon.

• Measuring 256 x 1,560 cm (more than 7 feet high and 50 feet long), this drawing is enormous in scale. On a hallway wall of your school use string or masking tape to delineate the dimensions of this drawing. How does realizing the size of this work influence your response to it?
• Cai intended for this drawing to refer to the undulating forms of the Great Wall of China and a dragon, which are two symbols of China. In what ways does this drawing suggest these forms? What other associations come mind as you look at this drawing?
• This drawing is the combined result of the artist’s careful planning and the energy of a forceful explosion. Which elements of this work seem to be preplanned and which seem to be the result of an explosion?
• If you did not know that this drawing was created by the use of a gunpowder explosion, how might you think that it was made?

• Although you cannot use gunpowder to produce your work, there are alternative materials and processes you can experiment with to create works of art. Consider nontraditional materials found in nature as well as elemental forces, including sun, wind, earth, and water that might be used in the creation of art. Like Cai, you should document your process through the use of digital photography and/or video and share both the process and product with your classmates.
  Visual Arts


• Cai has conceived some of his works as Projects for Extraterrestrials and designed them to be viewed from a celestial vantage point. They call into question whether there might be other intelligent forms of life in the universe and address the possibility of communication with other beings. Consider designing your own Project for Extraterrestrials. Create a plan with your own ideas on how you might attract the attention of and initiate communication with an alien life form.
  Social Studies


• Cai asks, “If beings from another planet landed here, what kind of things should they see to understand human achievement?” Create your own response to this question, and share your ideas with your classmates.
  Social Studies


• The Great Wall of China—parts of which were built as early the fifth century BCE—was constructed to protect China’s northern borders from invasion. Investigate other walls in history, both real and imaginary, including the Berlin Wall (Cai focused on this historical wall in his installation Head On in 2006), the Iron Curtain, the walls of Jericho, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and any other walls you can discover. Think about the purpose of walls throughout history, and consider the alternatives available in today’s world. Then discuss the extent to which such barriers remain practical.
  Social Studies