Cai Guo-Qiang: Falling back to earth

142 143 Giving gunpowder to at-risk children In 1999, I was invited to work with children in Salvador, Brazil, through the organisation The Quiet in the Land and Projeto Axé. Supported by many cultural and educational institutions, including the United Nations, the project invites musicians, architects, designers and artists to collaborate with disadvantaged children and adolescents — often with criminal records — in Salvador. Prior to the start of Projeto Axé, I went to Salvador to learn more about the city. After researching the various neighbourhoods, I decided to work with the residents in one of the poorest and roughest areas. During my visit I was struck by the sight of the bamboo houses that the young people and their families lived in. Due to the proximity of these makeshift structures to the ocean, these homes would sometimes be blown away by gusts of wind or washed away by storm surges. After seeing this, I was concerned that despite my enthusiasm for sharing my experiences and views, the teenagers would not open up to me because my life as an artist was too different from theirs. However, I still hoped that the small seed this project could plant might change their lives. I set out first and foremost to help restore their faith in life and, ultimately, to have confidence in their ability to contribute to society. To accomplish this, I proposed to have the children build and launch their own cannons, hence the title Salute . The curator and founder of The Quiet in the Land, France Morin, and the Projeto Axé staff were surprised, commenting, ‘These children committed crimes, some even hurt people with knives, and you want them to build cannons?’ To convince them to move forward with the project, I explained a fundamental theory in Chinese philosophy and Chinese medicine about using poison against poison. Though sceptical, they accepted my proposal. Salute 1999 Realised at Casa de Cultura, Projeto Axé Social, 18 August, 1999, and Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, 7 July 2000 Commissioned by The Quiet in the Land and the Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia, Salvador da Bahia Cai Guo-Qiang and participants watching cannons being fired during Salute , Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, 1999 Opposite Local teenagers building cannons for Salute , Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, 1999 Photographs: France Morin Building a cannon required much research and preparation. First, we visited the local barracks to learn about various types of cannons. The participants also received military training, helping them to understand that their aggressive attitude, lack of discipline, and resulting violent behaviour would not be of much use on a real battleground. I noticed during our sessions that they were ill-postured and easily distracted, often wrestling each other as soon as counsellors looked away, and realised they needed someone to redirect their energy. I wanted them to understand that this energy could benefit the world and give them confidence when facing society. After we returned from the barracks, I instructed the teenagers to draw plans and decide on the type of cannon they wanted to make. Next, I let them outline their budget and create a detailed list of necessary materials. For example, they were tasked with resolving how much the production would cost, whether to use a water pipe or a carton tube for the barrel, and whether to use bicycle wheels or car tyres. After they prepared their lists and corresponding budgets, the staff and I took them shopping at hardware stores. At the end of our sessions, we held a ceremony to launch the cannons. The children ignited the fuses one by one, firing the cannons toward the ocean, just like a salute. The public cheered and one local television station interviewed the participants. As the children were being interviewed, I told them, ‘When you had a knife in your hand, people couldn’t wait until you turned 18 so they could send you to jail. Now, everyone is cheering for the cannon you made, the television crew wants to interview you, and the art museum will collect your work. This proves that you have the ability to contribute to and help the community’.