Wednesday 16 November 2016

The Floating Piers

From 18 June to 3 July 2016, Christo's and Jeanne-Claude's floating piers could be experienced in Italy's Lake Iseo. 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of  220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes, undulated with the movement of the waves as The Floating Piers rose just above the surface of the water.
Thousands of people flocked to Northern Italy to participate in this unique event. In fact, all of Christo's and Jeanne Claude's projects are pretty unique and always attract the masses. I can't think of other artists who so regularly manage to surprise us.
The Floating Piers is an interesting and highly informative tome that documents the coming into being of this 3-kilometer-long walkway. You not only get to see photographs that show how crews are installing the various parts of the project but also quite some drawings and collages that give you an idea of what the artists originally had in mind. Last but not least, you get to see how visitors enjoy this fabulous work of art.
What I especially like about this project is that it not only displays the results of an artistic endeavour but that it also lets you take part in the process of creation.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude
The Floating Piers
Lake Iseo, Italy, 2014-2016
Taschen, Cologne 2016

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