New York City’s Central Park has been the site of much public interest and fanfare since artist Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude unfurled their latest work, “The Gates,” on Feb. 12.
The work is comprised of 7,500 metal gates outfitted with free hanging saffron-colored fabric panels. The fabric sways in the breeze along 23 miles of the park’s footpaths, creating a golden border that meanders through the bare tree branches.
The work has attracted large crowds to match its enormous size.
Visitors have been as diverse as Albert Hammond Jr., bass player of The Strokes, to First Lady Laura Bush. At least one hundred delegates from around the world have also descended upon New York to admire the piece.
Wesleyan students have not been immune to “Gates” mania, as many have already traveled to New York to experience the work.
“Central Park was mobbed for the unfurling, and it was really powerful to see so many people on a cold Saturday morning coming together to experience and appreciate a work of art,” said Nicole Gentile ’07, who took the CFA’s Arts Bus to New York.
“I think it is a spectacular achievement, and [an] impressive engineering and human organizational production as well,” said Wesleyan Professor of Art Jeffrey Schiff, who was at Central Park during the unveiling.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are known for their monumental works of temporary art, which have appeared all over the world. They design each piece for a specific site.
In 1969 they wrapped the coast of Australia’s Little Bay with a beige material. In 1982 they surrounded 11 islands in Miami with pink woven fabric. They opened 3,100 umbrellas in the valleys of Japan and California in 1991, and wrapped Germany’s Reichstag with silver fabric in 1995. They are currently working on a project for the Arkansas River in Colorado.
They first conceived the “Gates” project for Central Park in 1979. The total cost of planning, building and labor is estimated to be $21 million. As with all of their previous projects, it was financed entirely on their own. The artists accept no sponsors or donations, and donate all of the profits from merchandise sold to benefit the location of the work. In the case of “The Gates,” all income will be given to NNYN (Nurture New York’s Nature and the Arts), a charitable organization that will share half of the proceeds with The Central Park Conservatory.
In addition to employing uniformed monitors to assist visitors with questions and directions, Christo and Jeanne-Claude purchased 1,000,000 swatches of the specially woven fabric to distribute among park visitors.
Among members of the Wesleyan community who have seen the massive work, reactions to what some are calling a redecorated bike path have been mixed.
“I guess the idea of something so massive was cool, but it was unimpressive to me,” said Brendan O’Connell ’08. “It’s actually kind of amazing that it could be so monumental and yet so banal at the same time.”
“When I think of the number of people who sleep on park benches in Central Park, it seems ironic to find [this] 21 million dollar installation piece in the same place,” Gentile said. “As interesting as ‘The Gates’ were, I found them less aesthetically pleasing than I had anticipated. One of my friends said it was more of an ‘intellectual work,’ although I’m not sure that I get the intellectual piece.”
However, the experience is unique to each individual. Christo and Jeanne-Claude encourage viewers to immerse themselves in the environment and see what it means to them.
If nothing else, “The Gates” seem to promote thought.
“I still haven’t completely formulated an opinion about the work, but it made me think about a few things,” Gentile said.
“Like virtually all of Christo’s work, ”The Gates“ melds political and artistic concerns,” wrote Schiff in an e-mail. “On the one hand, a singular and relatively simple plan is imposed on a cherished site that is fraught with political entanglements (whether Central Park or the Reichstag) that must be negotiated for the project to occur at all; and ultimately a startlingly beautiful vision is created that clarifies by contrast some overlooked feature of the site (often its topography).”
“’The Gates’ fill the landscape with built forms and a frenetic energy that we are unaccustomed to in Central Park,” Schiff said. “The park usually functions as a welcome void, in spite of all its detail, and a respite from the hectic pace of the city around it. When ”The Gates“ come down, we’ll all appreciate that emptiness all the more.”
“The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005” will be on display until Feb. 27. The following day, 300 workers will remove the gates for recycling.
“I’m excited to see ‘The Gates’ because it’s such an interesting concept,” said Susie Lake ’08, who plans to visit New York this weekend. “Even though I’ve heard a few negative reactions, I still want to see it with my own eyes.”
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