Man, Eagle and Eye in the Sky: Kite Project for Siwa, Egypt, held in the Siwa Oasis, a small town on the edge of Western Sahara, best captures the four main features of Cai’s social project: exploring the power of artistic symbols in social contexts; Strong interest in local history and culture and keen application to projects; Active cooperation with all levels of local people, from children to government officials; It contributes both culturally and economically to the local community. The Siwa Art Project, an organization that promotes Siwa’s cultural heritage internationally with an emphasis on environmental awareness, invited Cai to create a temporary and land-based work locally. Siwa’s history and pristine environment prompted artists to use kites as a medium. As the title of the work suggests, the project includes three symbolic themes: “Man” stands for the historical cause of humanity; “Eagle” stands for Alexander the Great, who crossed the Sahara to receive an oracle at Siwa; “Eyes in the sky” represents the dream of mankind. The most important ingredient of the project, though immaterial, is the excitement generated among the local population and the enthusiasm of the 600 students who participate. Led by Cai Guoqiang, the students participated in kite painting, drawing on 300 kites brought from Weifang, China, which hosts an international kite festival every year. Around 40 older students help fly the colourful and imaginative kites in this pristine desert over Siwa’s famous temple ruins and ancient fortresses. At the end of the project, there was a blasting event with 100 kites. To Cai’s great delight, local people have formed a custom of flying kites every year in late autumn to commemorate his project. Cai himself created a series of gunpowder paintings to commemorate the project.

(Reiko Tomei, “Man, Eagle and Eye in the Sky”, 2003[Selected], Cai Guo-Qiang: I Want to Believe, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Art, 2008)