Twenty-one years ago, a different spectacle unfolded for bleary-eyed international civil servants, provided they strayed from their cubicles into Central Park. Before you go on, turn the volume up and click the button for the hymn of all UNICEF officials.
The Gates were an installation by Bulgarian artist Christo Yavacheff and French artist Jeanne-Claude, known jointly as Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The exhibition ran from February 12 through February 27, 2005.
The artists installed 7,503 steel "gates" along 37 km of pathways in Central Park. Close to 100,000 square metres of deep saffron-colored nylon fabric were used.
More than 100 teams of eight workers, all wearing grey uniform smocks, erected the gates. No holes were drilled and no permanent changes were made to the park. All workers were financially compensated and received breakfast and one hot meal a day.
Saffron or orange? - was not the only controversy surrounding the project.
The gates were 4.87 meters tall and varied in width from 1.68 to 5.48 meters. According to Wikipedia, project staff distributed free 2.75" square souvenir swatches of the orange fabric to passers-by, in part intended to discourage vandalism. The swatches remain highly collectible and trade on eBay for about $10 each. We weren't offered any fabric.
We were there first before the snowfall and then returned to see it again in the snow. The images are in reverse order, to get you confused.
All costs were borne by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The Central Park was left as it was before the installation. Nothing had changed.
Click here for the website of Christo and Jean-Claude, where you find a high resolution of the image above, and more information about the project.
Fabric-Art-Star Christo already worked his magic in our little town of Monschau/Germany - in 1971. We suspect that the Gates were only an afterthought, more than 50 years after the impactful and transformative wrapping of a ruined tower of Monschau Castle.
Image (from 1971) courtesy Karl-Heinz Melters
More Insights from Outside the Bubble, by Detlef Palm
Write to Detlef at detlefpalm55@gmail.com
Cool I remember the orange flag gates
ReplyDeleteGreat photos Detlef. I remember that event well and I am one of the visitors who received a square swatch of the orange fabric.
ReplyDelete