"She brought a lot of good things to this project because she is Chinese, a sculptor, and is young and creative," he comments.

The only hiccup on the trip, he says, was a problem with the brakes.

"We often stayed at youth hostels and ate in small restaurants. In some cities, hotels were unwilling to host a foreigner. And in tiny villages where no hotel could be found, we had to knock on the doors of local residents," Shi says.

In cities and villages where they stopped, they unpacked a white screen and turned a light on the sculpture at night.

"The effect was similar to traditional Chinese shadow plays. The show received a lot of interactions in many cities, especially in Jinan and Nanjing, " De la Faye says.

In small villages, he says, people looked at the work as a piece of machinery, whereas in the cities most people viewed it as art.

He says his work is based on illusion but is transformed when it comes into contact with people.

"Many people are not into galleries or museums. I like to take my work on trips because that's where people are."

Contact the writer at yangyijun@chinadaily.com.cn.