‘Man, Eagle and Eye in the Sky’ is so called because Cai had three hundred enormous Chinese silk kites specially made in these shapes, to be painted by the children of Siwa and flown by their youths. It therefore involved working closely with the people of this remote village at the edge of the Western Sahara. Bordering on an endless, silent desert called ‘The Great Sand Sea’ amidst a landscape of extraordinary rock formations and dunes, Siwa Oasis is an unspoilt refuge from the modern world, set among thick palm groves, walled gardens and olive orchards, with numerous fresh water springs. The project relates to Alexander’s epic journey and Cai’s choice of these kite shapes is no doubt inspired by ancient Egyptian imagery and hieroglyphs which evoke an aura of magic and mystery.

Main text by James Putnam.

164 pages, b/w and colour illustrations
Published by Albion/Thames and Hudson, London, 2004

ISBN 1900 829 142