BABELL: Porto Turns Its Sky Into a Living Canvas for Cai Guo-Qiang’s “One Page”

Last Saturday, the sky above Porto became the stage for one of the most ambitious artistic performances ever presented in the city. Suspended above the Douro waterfront, between Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, hundreds of drones, coloured smoke and pyrotechnic effects combined to create One Page, a large-scale aerial artwork conceived by internationally acclaimed Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

The performance formed part of the inaugural edition of BABELL, a literary and cultural festival organised by Fundação Livraria Lello. Rather than using paper and ink, Cai Guo-Qiang transformed the sky itself into a blank page, filling it with fleeting images that appeared, evolved and vanished within moments.

More than 600 drones were used during the presentation, working in conjunction with carefully choreographed pyrotechnic effects. Together, they created a sequence of visual compositions that unfolded above one of Portugal’s most iconic urban landscapes. Porto’s historic riverside district, the hillside architecture and the Dom Luís I Bridge became an integral part of the artwork, framing the spectacle against the city’s unmistakable skyline.

As the performance began, shapes gradually emerged among the clouds and drifting smoke. Some were immediately recognisable, while others invited interpretation from the audience. The constantly changing nature of the smoke meant that every image evolved in real time, creating a visual experience that was never static and never entirely predictable.

One of the most striking moments captured during the event is an image in which the smoke appears to form the silhouette of a dragon soaring above the city. Set against the evening sky and the densely packed rooftops of Porto’s historic centre, the scene conveys the dreamlike quality that defined much of the performance.

Smoke formations above Porto appear to take the shape of a dragon.

The photograph illustrates one of the central ideas behind One Page: the transformation of simple elements such as smoke, light and movement into powerful visual symbols. What may initially appear to be a natural cloud formation quickly becomes something more imaginative, blurring the line between reality and artistic creation.

Cai Guo-Qiang is renowned for using gunpowder and controlled explosions as artistic tools rather than merely as components of a fireworks display. In One Page, that philosophy was expanded through the use of drone technology, allowing images to be drawn on an unprecedented scale across the sky above Porto.

The artist’s approach places particular emphasis on impermanence. Rather than creating an object designed to endure, he creates moments that exist only briefly before disappearing. The audience experiences the artwork in real time, knowing that each image will soon dissolve and give way to the next.

Among the figures that emerged during the performance was a giant tree-like formation that appeared to grow above the city’s rooftops.

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A towering smoke formation resembles a tree rising above Porto during the aerial performance.

These images demonstrate the remarkable scale achieved during the event. The immense plume of smoke appears to rise directly from the urban landscape, creating the illusion of a vast tree suspended above the city.

The visual effect was enhanced by the interaction between the controlled elements of the performance and the natural movement of the atmosphere. Once released into the sky, the smoke became part of a constantly changing composition shaped by wind and light. This organic transformation gave the artwork a sense of life and movement that could never be perfectly repeated.

Literature served as a central inspiration for the project. The title One Page reflects the concept of a single page on which a story is written. In this case, however, the page was not made of paper. It was the sky itself, while the drones, smoke and pyrotechnics acted as the artist’s language.

The performance transformed familiar landmarks into components of a temporary visual narrative. The city was not merely the location of the event; it became one of its principal elements.

Another interesting scene occurred when coloured smoke drifted across the area surrounding the Dom Luís I Bridge, partially enveloping the iconic structure.

The Dom Luís I Bridge is partially shrouded in blue and white smoke during “One Page”.

The photograph captures a striking transformation of one of Porto’s best-known landmarks. The bridge emerges through layers of blue and white smoke, creating an atmosphere that feels almost surreal. The familiar structure remains instantly recognisable, yet the surrounding haze dramatically alters the way it is perceived.

The image also highlights the scale of the operation. Rather than limiting the artwork to a single focal point, the performance extended across a broad section of the skyline, interacting directly with the city’s architecture and topography.

The event attracted enormous public interest, drawing thousands of spectators to both sides of the Douro. Viewing points across Porto and Gaia quickly filled as residents and visitors gathered wherever possible to witness the spectacle. From riverside promenades and bridge approaches to terraces, rooftops and elevated viewpoints overlooking the city, people assembled in large numbers to experience an event unlike anything previously seen in Porto.

For a few extraordinary moments, the attention of an entire city was directed skyward, as One Page transformed Porto’s skyline into a vast, living canvas.