WASHINGTON — In a most unusual Christmas tree lighting, Chinese pyrotechnic artist Cai Guo-Qiang decked a 40-foot Pine not with tinsel or bows, but gunpowder and explosives.
Hundreds of onlookers showed up Friday to watch Qiang’s “Black Christmas Tree” explosive event held outside of the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art. The event celebrated the Sackler Gallery’s 25 years of existence, but was over in about 25 seconds.
“I thought it would last a little bit longer actually,” said Anthony Uy.
In three separate explosions, Qiang, who some have called “something of a magician,” set off 2,000 fireworks, creating a light show and a smoke cloud rarely seen on the Mall.
In fact, Qiang told reporters it took two weeks to get a permit to blow up the tree in the nation’s capital.
“I changed creative directions many times because of all of the limitations,” he said through a translator. “Here in Washington where all the buildings look like a chess board, to have this whimsical black cloud pop up out of nowhere is a great gesture.”
The final explosion attempted to make a floating Christmas tree out of smoke that floated above the crowd. Before the event, Qiang told the crowd it would look like a film negative of a Christmas tree.
The smoke tree hovered above the crowd, leaving quite an impression. Madeline Kelty’s face was brushed with black soot after the wind blew the smoke in her direction.
“I didn’t know the soot would blow that way and that it would stay everything I touched,” Kelty said.
The artist was in town receiving the State Department’s first Medal of Arts, and said he hopes Washington can become an area for contemporary artists to flourish. Both the State Department and the Smithsonian sponsored the free event.