A firework ladder to the sky — and the magic of explosive art | Cai Guo-Qiang (re-release)
About this episode
<p>From a boy setting off small explosions in his living room to the creator of world-famous pyrotechnic events, multidisciplinary artist Cai Guo-Qiang has always been drawn to gunpowder. He gives a stunning tour of his work — including his fireworks spectacle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, his "sky ladder" of fire reaching to the clouds and new work created with AI — and shows how his art probes the line between destruction and construction, control and freedom, violence and beauty. (This talk was delivered in Mandarin and translated live into English. The translation was put through a custom AI model of Cai Guo-Qiang's voice, powered by technology from Metaphysic. You'll hear how Cai would sound if he were speaking English.)</p><br><p>This episode originally aired July 30, 2024.</p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>
Listen to this episode in English to learn English
Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. A firework ladder to the sky — and the magic of explosive art | Cai Guo-Qiang (re-release) from TED Talks Daily gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.
In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.
Episodes to Learn English
- The wiggly wonder of music | Jacob Collier Sep 15, 2026
- How AI unleashed (not replaced) my creativity | Kelly A. Boesch Sep 14, 2026
- How to turn setbacks into success | Amy Shoenthal Sep 13, 2026
- Why is it so hard for men to open up? A journalist and an entrepreneur answer | Joshua Johnson and Blake Mycoskie Sep 12, 2026
- The gravity-defying future of manufacturing | Schendy Kernizan Sep 11, 2026
- News tells you what happened. Drawing shows you how it felt | George Butler Sep 10, 2026
- How bullying spreads — and how social bravery stops it | Amy Cuddy Sep 9, 2026
- How the wealth gap is reshaping politics | Xochitl Gonzalez Sep 8, 2026
- Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson Sep 7, 2026
- How to make learning as addictive as social media | Luis von Ahn Sep 7, 2026
- 4 steps to unlock your kid’s math potential | Shalinee Sharma Sep 7, 2026
- How video games can level up the way you learn | Kris Alexander Sep 7, 2026
- How schools can nurture every student's genius | Trish Millines Dziko Sep 7, 2026
- Grit: The power of passion and perseverance | Angela Lee Duckworth Sep 6, 2026
- What's the biggest barrier to thriving? A philosopher and a space architect answer | Ariel Ekblaw and Meghan Sullivan Sep 5, 2026
- Meet the youngest-ever mayor in Japan's history | Ryosuke Takashima Sep 4, 2026
- The missing half of music history | Gabriella Di Laccio Sep 3, 2026
- How to tap into your awareness -- and why meditation is easier than you think | Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche Sep 2, 2026
- The 60 seconds that make or break a conversation | Chris Fenning Sep 1, 2026
- This is what the birth of the universe sounded like | Mark Whittle Aug 31, 2026
- Sunday Pick: How to quit (and why it matters) with Anthony Klotz | from Fixable Aug 30, 2026
- The art of the novel | Ann Patchett Aug 29, 2026
- Who controls your city's money? | Trinity Tran Aug 28, 2026
- The shape-shifting sounds of the accordion | Maria Telesheva Aug 27, 2026
- Dolly Parton is burning up, not burning out | from WorkLife with Adam Grant Aug 26, 2026
- How 180 strangers built a library together | Rebecca Toh Aug 25, 2026
- How to fix Africa's learning crisis | Rapelang Rabana Aug 24, 2026
- Sunday Pick: How to mentally reset when you’re stressed out (w/ Dr Jenny Taitz) | How to Be a Better Human Aug 23, 2026
- How to make learning impossibly fun | Mark Rober Aug 22, 2026
- Is AI turning us all into the same person? | Sandra Matz Aug 21, 2026