Fireworks Artist Creates Real Stairway to Heaven

As a fireworks lover, I found this to be absolutely fantastic, but you really don't have to be a fireworks fan to appreciate the artistry and the difficulty of making this work.

The artist behind the ladder is Cai Guoqiang, the man who drew much acclaim for his design of the opening ceremony fireworks for the Beijing Olympics.

From the Daily Mail:

Called the 'Sky Ladder', the project started off as a dream for Mr Cai 21 years ago when he was visiting Bath, England. He designed the performance by drawing a draft of the design on the window of an art gallery.

He said he wanted to put on a spectacular fireworks show to thank his grandmother for supporting his dream of being an artist.

'My grandma was born in a small fishing village in Quanzhou and sold fish to help her grandson realise his artistic dream,' the artist revealed. 

How exactly did Cai make the fireworks rise up 1650 feet while holding the shape of a ladder?

The ladder, which was made of metal wire and aluminum, was filled with gunpowder and attached to the bottom of a hot air balloon.  

Cai is used to making some attention-getting artwork. In 2013, he created a massive, 80 foot long painting of his hometown by using gunpowder explosions. That painting was later auctioned off for nearly $3 million.