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After all the blizzardy snow, Gothamist was wondering what would happen to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Gates in The Central Park. Would they be completely covered, necessitating some serious heat waves to melt the snow? Or would The Gates be imperceptible to the elements? Luckily, Tien answered those questions with a visit to the park: The gates are visible and they are being using as fire hydrants by dogs (we hope). High-falutin art concepts, begone, bladder-relieving canines are the great equalizer of this city!
Christo and J-C's own site about the project, and New York magazine's feature about The Gates. And we wonder what the weather will be like once The Gates are up - will the fabric stand up to blizzards? And speaking of gates and dogs, there's this great Errol Morris documentary about a pet cemetery: Gates of Heaven.
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Little kids on sleds were crashing into those cement "gates". Parents were trying to move them but they were too heavy.
More than a few people were injured sledding down a hill only to be surprised by the giant obstructions just underneath the surface.
Try telling a kid who is crying and begging to know why someone would put that there about the concept of art.
At first I thought, hey, those hanging fabrics so artfully placed around the park just swaying with the breeze, so peacefully moving, so hypnotic, so, so, wait a minute, I've been duped once again in the b.s. hype of the art world but thankfully once again have recovered and don't see the emporer's new clothes.
Don't really understand why everyone likes to hate on The Gates. It's going to be cool. Besides, each gate base has two orange plastic pieces on either side of it (see picture above), so it's not too likely you're going to crash in to it if you look where you're going. Maybe we should remove all obstacles in the park? Kid might walk in to the lake, too.
Its art? I thought you were building something.
Yeah it is annoying. I always trip over the damn things. I wouldnt mind if they were to the side of the path but its in the way. And to tell you the Truth it doesnt make the Harlem Meer look good at all. Nice try
Christ, people. The piece is not finished yet. At least wait until it's done to hate on it.
And as for those kids sledding. Tough shit. It's bright orange. How could you miss it?
Christo told us how many jobs his project provided. But how much did the shebang cost? It does smack of the emperor's new clothes...I was thinking the same thing when looking at the late Dan Flavin's various configurations of white fluourescent tubes at Dia: Beacon (not to mention nearly every other exhibit in their hallowed halls. It's not like I'm an art critic...oh wait! I *was* an art critic, for a Knight Ridder newspaper in Calif. And I say it's BS.
--Jungle Girl
www.mozartinthejungle.com
Jungle Girl, Christo and Jean Claude have donated the art work, and are donating any associated profits to the Central Park Conservancy. Also, it might be a little premature to be criticizing a piece that nobody's seen. Fuckin heaven forbid there should be art somewhere. If it's Disney closing the Sheep's Meadow it doesn't even get this much heat.
Who the hell completes a part of the project and leaves it for people to trip over until a later time? Do the whole damn thing at once for god's sake. Hell . . . I'll just deal with the problem myself.
Does anyone have a sledge hammer?
Jim: Sorry to have spoken out of turn and thanks for the info. However, I'm still confused. Proceeds? From where would any monetary proceeds originate? There's no admission, right? Or are they collecting donations somehow? And I assume some grants were obtained to pay for materials and labor. How does this work? It still looks like a colossal expense but perhaps I'm missing something.
Jim, it's true that (1) Christo and Jean Claude have donated the art work. However, your statement that [they] (2) "are donating any associated profits to the Central Park Conservancy" is misleading. Souvenirs (i.e., keychains, caps, magnets, etc.) will be sold "to enhance your viewing" (their words). And what the Christos are donating are the proceeds from the sale of these souvenirs. Christo will retain any profits he makes from the sale of drawings, etc. of "The Gates." In fact, at least one of his largest drawings has already been sold for $600,000. Forget about the starving artist in the garret image--"art" is a big-bucks business.
Don't be naive. Maybe you need to change the batteries in your bullshit detector because it doesn't seem to be working.
Karen
No grants. Christo and Jeanne-Claude use the proceeds from the sale of his original drawings to fund the project. They characterize the project itself as a gift to the people of New York.
There must be scam artists trying to sell tickets to The Gates, as the Christo and Jeanne-Claude website (http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/tg.html) now warns people not to buy tickets.
Looking at some of Christo's so-called wrapped projects, I've come up with another art project for him that will definitely please a lot more New Yorkers.
What Christo should do is "wrap" City Hall--with a special personalized "wrapping" for NYC Parks Commissioner, Adrian Benepe.
As Karen noted the Christos make their (big) bucks by selling sketches and paintings of their wrappings (?). I have always felt that their business model/method of deseminating art was a bit icky, but they are damn succesful. Thye make mad cash by convining civic groups (?) to do this. The wrapping is the present to the city, but they get the gift... I am sure someone could do I better job with the irony that is burried in there. Me, not so much, no hot water this morning and a long commute.
How snobby can you get? I always thought that it is key that people who love art should encourage others to do so. This would not include saying: I was an art critic at some newspaper so if I say it's no good, you have to go along with it. Frankly, I think we might want to wait to see it before we hate it. As to the money thing, materials aren't free. Even a can of spay paint will set you back some dough. The wonderful little sculptures at 14th street cost money as well. Are we arguing against public art here? On another note, when I was a kid, playgrounds were made of metal, cement and wood chips. These UWS kids need to walk it off.
I for one am all for public/civic art. But I think my definition of what that is may be different than Jaine's or others. IMHO, if it envolves taxpayer space or dollars it should be quality, durable and artistic. The sculptures in the subway station on 14th street fit this to a tee, a bunch of tarps in CP that will be gone in a few months do not.
And dont forget- Cristo's art has resulted in deaths of viewers before- remember the California umbrellas? Dont think the UWS lawyers forgot that.
Actually there is no need to wait until it's up to see what Christo's "The Gate" will look like. All you had to do is click on a link in Gothamist's story to see an artist's rendering. For those who felt compelled to voice an opinion without first seeing the depiction, I'll describe this art project for you. It will consist of 23 miles of metal frames (7,500 frames) that will follow the walkways in Central Park. These frames will be 16 feet high and range from 5.5 feet to 18 feet wide. Attached to the top of the frames will be 7,500 flapping orange "sheets." Hold that image--now visualize Central Park which is only 1/2 mile wide by 2.5 miles long. Can you spell "intrusive?"
The Sierra Club is not terribly impressed either. As they pointed out in a letter to the NYTimes, Central Park is the winter home of some 7,000 birds (including Pale Male). This includes 7 species which are on a "watchlist." The Sierra Club is concerned that these orange sheets (flapping night and day) may additionally stress birds already trying to survive in an inhospitable environment. Strangely, the NY Audubon Society has been unusually silent even though their website praises Central Park as one of the Important Bird Areas ("IBA") in the US. [Okay, Mr. EJ McAdam (head of NY Audubon), please tell us about the years when you worked at the Parks Dept. and reported to Adrian Benepe, the current NYC Parks Commissioner.]
"Quality, durable, and artistic" -- it sounds like a description of a Saab. Quality and artistic are subjective. Best judged, I think, when you see the object. Durable is not always necessary IMO. Many artists pruposefully work in non-durable materials to, among other things, comment on nature and impermanence. If you go to a town and see a bronze eqestrian statue of some civil war guy and then elsewhere see a totem pole made of wood, would you say that the equestrian statue is better because bronze is more durable than wood? People also think of bronze as a higher quality material. Is one worthy of taxpayer money and the other isn't? Is there a time limit before a piece or art becomes "worth it?" Does the fact that NYC would not be resposible for continual upkeep change anything?
Janine, your perceptive comments lead me to believe that you may have a special insight into Christo's art. Are you aware that they are looking for volunteers to help out while "The Gates?" is on display? May I suggest that you hurry over there?
You said: "Durable is not always necessary IMO. Many artists pruposefully work in non-durable materials to, among other things, comment on nature and impermanence." I could not agree more. After all, it was "non-durable materials" that resulted in the death of a California woman who was crushed by one of Christo's giant umbrellas. Surely you can appreciate how that was the utmost artistic demonstration of life's "impermanence."
I'm not cavalier about people's deaths. The umberlla didn't just collapse. It was blown over by (what I understand to be) a unexpectedly large sandstorm, which (IMO) is why the bases for the flags are so heavy and substantial this time around. I also think it's just as cavalier to use cute wordplay regarding someone's death just to make a point.
Since my first uninformed posting, I have read a bit about The Gates and see what an intriguing case it is. First of all, it's a somewhat unusual model for an artwork to be financed without foundation, individual or direct government support (although perhaps permitting its installation on public park land could be considered indirect municipal support). In some ways, it's hard to argue with financing a creative endeavor through self-generated capitalist income rather than taking the old dole.
On the other hand, I read that many people here feel it's an intrusion and destructive presence in the lives of New Yorkers....in one of the few bits of nature city dwellers can enjoy. The Sierra Club's point about the birds is also a good one. But then, at what point to we prohibit public art? With a subway tile mosaic? A large steel sculpture on Sixth Ave.?
I still personally feel like The Gates is itself "emperor's new clothes," though other observers are right that I should reserve final judgment for its actual installation. However, I'm starting to think the "work of art" Christo and J-C have in mind may be the discussions about art and public policy that it raises, Pollyanna-ish as that might seem.
I, too, can't get the memory of the fatal flying umbrella in Calif. out of my mind...although it was apparently a freak accident. The victim's death seemed like a high price to pay. However, these gates are supposed to withstand something like 50 mph winds without having to be "implanted" in holes all over the park but held upright by heavy metal bases instead.
Christo’s modus operandi is to first obtain a public venue from local officials. He then picks up the cost of the construction and eventual disassembly of his art. The local venue profits from the tourist dollars/sales taxes, etc. that are derived from the crowds coming to ogle the so-called “environmental art.” Christo also profits (fabulously) by the sale of his sketches, collages, etc. of the viewed art. Nothing intrinsically wrong with that. However, in order to bring people to see his art, the rule of thumb seems to be the more controversial, the better. The formula seems to be: controversy = publicity = art sales. Regardless of what your opinion may be about his art, Christo is a obviously a master when it comes to marketing..
The city of Chicago has a fine tradition of art in public spaces. In fact, it has the largest ollection of public art of any city in the U.S. And it was in Chicago that Christo presented his first U.S. “wrapped” project a few decades ago. However, I doubt that Chicago would have ever approved such an intrusive project as the apping “Gates”--especially in a location praised as one of the most “Important Bird Areas” in the U.S. Chicago encourages and supports public art, but it doesn’t “sell it’s soul to the devil” to do it. Maybe New York would do well to look to Chicago as a model.
God, where to start. First, those saying you should wait until you see it before judging it are absolutely right.
Second, the Christo and Jean-Claude don't make tons of money out of this. They are still paying off loans from the Reichstag. They had to pay something like $3 million just to the Conservancy. And they took out a huge loan for most of the rest. They definitely do fine day to day and don't seem to want for anything, but I think that has more to do with Jean-Claude's aristocratic background then all the money they rake in from their public art projects. They are lucky to break even.
And 'souvenirs (i.e., keychains, caps, magnets, etc.) will be sold "to enhance your viewing" (their words)'. Really? Show me where. That doesn't sound like them at all. They completely recycle the entire project and don't allow any of it to be saved. I think there might be something that they were going to be giving away, like a handout or something, but that it it. They fund these projects by selling artwork, not trinkets.
And no umbrellas killed anybody. There was one located on the side of a cliff. It had been very hard to anchor due to the gusts coming up the cliffs and creating lift. They anchored it down with several times as many anchor points as the other ones and it should have been able to withstand any reasonable weather. However, a freakishly strong gust hit it (like a 50 or 100 year wind) and pulled it out of its anchors. A woman that was viewing it panicked when it starting coming towards her and when she turned to run, she tripped and hit her head on a rock. That is it. The umbrellas couldn't have killed anyone and it would have been really hard for them to hurt someone.. The umbrella never touched the woman and she was killed through her own actions. It was a tragic event, but it really had nothing to do with the umbrella.
The prevailing story is that the unfortunate visitor was crushed to death by one of the 485 lb. umbrellas. I did search for anything that would support your story, but couldn't find anything. If you can prove otherwise, please do so. Unfortunately, this was not the only tragedy for the umbrella project:
"On October 26, 1991, Lori Rae Keevil-Matthews was visiting Christo's umbrella project in Tejon Pass, California. The piece was an environmental project consisting of 1,760, 485-pound yellow umbrellas planted throughout the pass. As part of the project, Christo had also installed 1,340, 485-pound blue umbrellas in Ibaraki, Japan. Keevil-Matthews was killed by the piece after a 40 M.P.H. wind pulled up an umbrella and smashed her against a boulder. On October 31, during the de-installation of the project in Japan, Masaaki Nakamura was electrocuted to death when the crane he was operating, which was in the process of removing a sculpture, touched a 65,000 volt high-tension line."
I'm glad this installation is generating lots of thought and conversation ... but troubled by how negative most of these reactions are. I couldn't be more excited that the 'unfurling' date is fast approaching. I think this is going to be a spectacularly beautiful project, and I'm planning to take my students to the park to see it and write about it.
I understand that people are worried about how intrusive the installation will be, and perhaps it will be extremely so ... but it will only be in place for two weeks and will then be deconstructed. Yes, construction took some time, and deconstruction will also take some time, but the time is relatively short.
How unfortunate that the parents of the sledders in the park didn't pay better attention to where their children were sledding. Crashes into the cement gate bases could so easily have been avoided. Don't blame Christo and Jeanne-Claude for careless or neglegent parenting.
This project is being funded in part by Deutsche Bank. They're working hard on their public image, especially after all their layoffs. (My own included.)
I don't think I've ever been exposed to a more idiotic dialogue in my life. Jungle Girl, you are everything that is wrong.
You people should all move to Ohio.
This "woman" you are speaking of was a freind of mine. And yes the Umbrella killed her. I am from Thousand Oaks California and all us in T.O. blame Christo's "art" for taking her away from her husband and little girl and us her friends. So where ever youare getting your information from is VERY INCORRECT...
Jeanne-Claude commented on the two deaths caused by the Umbrellas in an article...it's posted on their web site:
http://www.christojeanneclaude.net/eyeLevel.html
Eye-level:
Although you have never purposely created any works that were sad by their nature, while building The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91, a worker tragically was killed. Did that accident change your approach to your work in any way?
Jeanne-Claude:
The first part of the question is, unfortunately, there were two accidents and that is quite a spooky thing because The Umbrellas, Japan-USA were one work of art in two parts, like a painter might paint a dyptich, one work in two paintings. It was one work in two parts and a few days after a visitor was killed by an umbrella in California, a few days later, we had to fly to Japan, where one of our workers was killed, not by an umbrella but by a very freak accident. He was underneath high tension lines in the wet rice fields and the electricity jumped – he never touched it – it just jumped down to him. It does happen one time in a million, and it electrocuted him.
Art is art. Take it how you like it. Christo and Jean-Claude raise money for their projects and pay for them in every aspect- from worker's salaries to materials. If you don't like it, deal with it. All of their art work is temporary.
Nonsense. I live in a communtiy where Christos is proposing the "over the river" project, and to pretend that his garbage does not leave scars is a lie. They are proposing that they drill and later poor concrete all along our river... They themselves say the concrete will stay after they're gone. If you've ever seen the Arkansas River and all of it's beauty, you will likely shed more than one tear when this is all over and Christo has gone and left us to pick up his mess. Central Park is one thing... The Arkansas River Canyon is another... But I assure you, it's true natural beauty WILL be defended from this euro-trash.
As someone who was closer to Lori Matthews than anyone here...and as someone who has met Christo...I can tell you. He is not a spiteful man. He was DEVASTATED that his work of art took a brilliant and loving woman from this earth. My mother was Lori's closest and dearest friend, and Lori's daughter is my best friend, and now, years later, like a little sister to me... so Im practically an authority on the subject. I was 11 years old when that happened and yes, it devestated alot of people to lose Lori...but we all knew, IT WAS AN ACCIDENT. Christo never intended for his art to hurt anyone. He and his wife came to Lori's funeral, both racked with pain , guilt and sorrow. They hugged people, apologizing, crying, and begging for forgivness. He is a good man. He just wants to bring beauty to the world. Yes, bad things happen, but bad things happen all the time. Its not his fault.