On the 26th of June, 2023, contemporary artist Cai Guo-Qiang released When the Sky Blooms with Skaura in Iwaki, Japan. Commissioned by Saint Laurent, the display marked Japan’s first daytime fireworks.
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Taking place at Yotsukura Beach in Iwaki City, an area devastated by the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, the display was a moving tribute to those who lost their lives. Set over thirty minutes, 40,000 pigmented firework shells were launched between the sea and sky, creating a mesmerising dance of colour that spanned 400 metres high and 130 metres wide.
Beginning solemnly to represent a requiem for the departed and the harm humans have inflicted upon nature, When the Sky Blooms with Sakura opened with Black Waves, designed to confront the pain of the past, which transformed into the white Memorial Monument, symbolising a grand mourning for the suffering experiences during the pandemic and in wars.
The latter half of the display was characterised by romantic clusters of saruka clouds, conveyed through specially designed pink fireworks and used to communicate collective hope and dreams.
Having lived in Japan for almost nine years from December 1986, the country holds a special place in the heart of the Chinese artist. In 1988, Guo-Qiang arrived in Iwaki, a coastal town in Fukushima, a place which eventually felt like a second hometown. In 1993, he lived for seven months along Yotsukura Beach in Iwaki, preparing for From the Pan-Pacific, his first solo exhibition at a public art museum in Japan.
Commissioning the pyrotechnic display is the latest instance in Saint Laurent’s ongoing mission to support excellence in various creative fields.
“Thank you to the beautiful sea and sky of Yotsukura, and the rare cooperation and companionship of the sound of the wind and waves in this worrisome June,” said Cai Guo-Qiang on the day of the daytime fireworks display.
“Mankind today is facing various challenges such as coexisting with the pandemic, economic decline, deglobalization, and increased national and cultural conflicts. Through the sakura in the sky, I was expressing the story of the friendship between the people of Iwaki and me, which transcends politics and history, and I hope that the artwork will inspire the world with faith and hope.”
Watch the full daytime fireworks show below.
Words by Henry Blake
