Cai Guo-Qiang – Radiance of Spring: Sky Painting for Normandie Impressionist

On the occasion of the opening weekend of the 6th edition of the Normandy Impressionist Festival, Cai Guo-Qiang, an internationally renowned artist famous for his spectacular pyrotechnic creations — notably during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics — imagines a daytime fireworks display, accompanied by more than a thousand drones, with an impressionist inspiration.

Transforming the sky into a veritable canvas, this spectacle unfolds flowers of colored smoke, composing a succession of tableaux inspired by Claude Monet. In the sky, this perpetually metamorphosing "magic garden" takes shape through evanescent brushstrokes.

The show aims to leave in the minds of the spectators images as indelible as the greatest ephemeral works of art in history.

Additional information

This 20-minute show along the banks of the Seine in Vernon, which hosts the Bastille Day fireworks every year, will include aerial drones and colored smoke effects. Towards the end of the performance, firework sounds will be played for about a minute.

Fire safety officers and medical personnel will be present on site at all times. All pyrotechnic effects will be handled by Groupe F, France's leading pyrotechnics company, which has a long history of producing acclaimed public displays at historical heritage sites in France, including the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe and the Pont du Gard, as well as at several Olympic ceremonies.

All pyrotechnic materials used are produced in Europe and comply with European safety standards.

Guests are asked to follow all instructions given by event staff and local authorities throughout the event.