fireworks

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Design History Illustration

Hundreds of Japanese Firework Illustrations Now Available for Free Download

In the early 20th-century English fireworks company C.R. Brock and Company (now known as Brocks Fireworks) published colorful catalogs displaying designs from Japanese companies such as Hirayama Fireworks and Yokoi Fireworks. Six catalogs of diverse pyrotechnic diagrams have been digitized and made available for download thanks to the city of Yokohama’s public library. If you don’t read Japanese, you can download each publication’s PDF by visiting their website, clicking one of the book’s English titles near the bottom of the page, and then clicking “本体PDF画像” link below the image. Each catalog is a tremendous and varied selection of the firework shapes and colors of the time, with several designs you might recognize no matter where you view contemporary fireworks displays. (via Open Culture)

Photography Science

A Burst of Deep Sea Fireworks: A Rare Jellyfish Filmed by the E/V Nautilus

Researchers aboard the E/V Nautilus (previously) celebrated the new year with an unlikely guest, a beautiful Halitrephes maasi jellyfish found at a depth of 4,000 feet underwater at the Revillagigedo Archipelago off Baja California, Mexico. The vibrantly hued jellyfish looks like an impressive burst of fireworks when lit, but would otherwise travel in almost completely visual obscurity.

“Radial canals that move nutrients through the jelly’s bell form a starburst pattern that reflects the lights of ROV Hercules with bright splashes of yellow and pink,” the Nautilus crew shares. “But without our lights this gelatinous beauty drifts unseen in the dark.”

You can follow regular discoveries aboard the Nautilus on their frequently updated YouTube channel.
(via Core 77)

Photography

Magnificent Photographs of Japan’s Summer Firework Festivals

Summer in Japan means colorful explosions in the sky, where some 200 firework festivals called “hanabi taikai” are held across the country in July and August, a tradition that dates back to the early 18th century. At many events, pyrotechnicians actually compete to create the best firework show, with extreme attention to detail in scale, color, and design. Photographer Keisuke trekked to several shows this summer and captured the most eye-opening moments of these nighttime events. Although just 25 years old, the photographer has received numerous awards for his landscape photography of Japan and he’s amassed quite a following on Instagram.

Amazing Photography

Spectacular Camera Drone Footage of New Year’s Fireworks Over Lima

Right at midnight on New Year’s Eve, photographer Jeff Cremer sent his camera drone up into the skies above Lima, Peru to capture the sights and sounds of residents shooting off fireworks. A heck of a lot of fireworks it turns out, shot from streets and rooftops across the entire city. Cremer wanted to get a bit closer to the action but smartly kept his drone at about 200m so it wouldn’t be knocked out of the sky by a random firework. Set to Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. (via PetaPixel)

Art

Artist Cai Guo­-Qiang Sends a 500-Meter Ladder of Fire into the Sky Above China

In the early morning hours of June 15, a huge white balloon filled with 6,200 cubic meters of helium slowly ascended into the sky above Huiyu Island Harbour, Quanzhou, China. Attached to it was a 500-meter long ladder coated completely with quick burning fuses and gold fireworks that was then ignighted by artist Cai Guo­-Qiang (previously) who has become known for his ambitious pyrotechnic artworks.

Titled Sky Ladder, the piece burned for approxmiately 2 minutes and 30 seconds above the harbor and was the fourth and final attempt to realize the performance. Guo­-Qiang had earlier attempted Sky Ladder in Bath (1994), Shanghai (2001), and in Los Angeles (2012), to varying degrees of success, but never considered his vision complete until now. He first imagined a ladder of fire as a child and has pursued the idea for 21 years. He shares about this last successful iteration of the event:

Behind Sky Ladder lies a clear childhood dream of mine. Despite all life’s twists and turns, I have always been determined to realize it. My earlier proposals were either more abstract or ceremonial. Sky Ladder today is tender, and touches my heart deeply: it carries affection for my hometown, my relatives and my friends. In contrast to my other attempts, which set the ignition time at dusk, this time the ladder rose toward the morning sun, carrying hope. For me, this not only means a return but also the start of a new journey.

Unfortunately there’s no official video of the performance available yet, but a few shaky cell phone videos have emerged. You can see more images of the performance on the artist’s website. All photos by Lin Yi and Wen-You Cai courtesy Cai Studio. (via Booooooom)

Art

A Pyrotechnic Artwork by Cai Guo-Qiang Explodes into a Blossom on the Steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

In 2009, Cai Guo-Qiang was commissioned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art to create a site-specific explosion event on the front facade of the museum. The project, titled Fallen Blossoms, used a gunpowder fuse, metal net, and scaffolding to activate a blossom pattern for 60 seconds, temporarily setting the columns of the building ablaze.

The fuse for the flower was lit on December 11 at sunset for a large audience. The title for the event and corresponding exhibition is derived from a classical Chinese proverb “hua kai hua luo” which comments on the extreme loss felt when a life is ended unexpectedly. The title and event were also meant as a tribute to the Museum’s late director, Anne d’Harnoncourt.

Cai currently lives and works in New York, but was born and trained in stage design in China. Not limited to one medium, Cai works in installation, drawing, performance and video art. During his 9-year stay in Japan he explored the use of gunpowder in his work which eventually led to his large scale explosion events. Cai was notably the Director of Visual and Special Effects for both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. (via cerceos)