people with disabilities detonate paint-filled balloons using the power of their mind

 

artist jody xiong directs ‘the bloom’ installation for the 2022 winter paralympic 

 

For the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Paralympic held at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing on March 4th, Chinese artist Jody Xiong was invited by chief director Zhang Yimou to create a technologically-powered art installation called ‘The Bloom’. Xiong also directed his work into a short film that you can watch below. 

 

Inspired by the artist’s 2014 work titled ‘Mind Art’, the project brought together 12 disabled people around an 8-meter wide, circular canvas to create a colorful smiley face by detonating paint-filled balloons using the power of their minds. Yes, really — here’s how. 

 

 

 

 

detonating a series of paint-filled ballons using brainwave-capturing devices 

 

For ‘The Bloom’ installation, Xiong (see more here) invited participants to pick their favorite colored paint and fill them in balloons with detonators. Each then wore a brainwave-capturing device that sent a signal to trigger the detonators, eventually getting paint to splatter all over the canvas. The colorful cocktail formed an abstract ‘smiley face’ meant to greet everyone who watches the film. ‘This experiment is an expression of the spiritual power of the disabled,’ notes the artist. 

 

 

To properly reflect the 2022 theme, Zhang Yimou convened a series of brainstorming sessions with Jody Xiong and other creatives, including international art master Cai Guoqiang. The result is an overturn of the original, 2014 ‘Mind Art’ scheme, addind more impact and emotion to the performance behind ‘The Bloom’ installation.