“All our work is about freedom. Nobody can buy our projects, nobody can sell tickets to experience our projects. Freedom is the enemy of possession and possession is equal to permanence. That is why our projects cannot remain and must go away forever. Our projects are ‘once-in-a-lifet.mes ’ and ‘once upon a t.mes .’”
E pitomizing the transcendent impermanence of the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates brought millions to Central Park during its 16 day tenure in Central Park—February 12th through 28th, 2005. Winding 23 miles throughout the iconic, sprawling park in central Manhattan, the installation of The Gates was magnetic; upwards of four million visitors explored the park, taking new routes through its twisting paths adorned with 7,503 “gates”, or fabric panels. The installation was completed with utmost attention to Central Park’s integrity: the gates were only placed in areas of the park with low concentrations of wildlife, and no holes were dug in the ground; instead, each gate was anchored with weights.
Right: Christo in his studio with a preparatory drawing for The Gates, New York City, 1984. Photo by Wolfgang Volz. © 2005 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation.
Known for their powerful installations that completely integrate and transform a chosen monument or landscape, Christo and Jean Claude’s oeuvre demonstrates their adept skills as draught.mes n, architects and conceptual geniuses. The result is a body of work utilizing many media, combining elements of drawing and of collage to expertly shift the way his audience sees a given place. At the core of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s practice is the joy and freedom tied to the experience of ephemerality; as the artists have said, “Our works are temporary in order to endow the works of art with a feeling of urgency to be seen, and the love and tenderness brought by the fact that they will not last.”
Right: View of The Gates, Central Park. Photo by Malcolm Pinckney/NYC Parks.
