Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
2016
Rivista bimestrale – Anno XXV luglio - agosto 2016 Sped. in a.p. – 45% art. 2 comma 20/b, legge 662/96 DCI Umbria – Codice ISSN 1120-3544
4.2016
URBAN DESIGN
EV E N T I · E V E N T S
Un lago percorribile:
i moli galleggianti di Christo
e Jeanne-Claude
A passable lake: Christo and
Jeanne-Claude’s floating piers
Elena Borin, Luca Rossato
LA LAND ART DI CHRISTO E JEANNE CLAUDE l’uso di teloni bianchi, la coppia si cimenta nuovamente
con la grande scala, lavorando sul paesaggio urbano,
La collaborazione artistica tra la coppia Christo e attraverso l’opera The Gates (2005) a Central Park, New
Jeanne-Claude inizia nel 1961 nel porto di Colonia e York, dove vengono in poco tempo installati 7.503
prende concretamente forma l’anno seguente a Parigi portali che creano un percorso di oltre 37 km all’interno
con l’opera Rideau de Fer, un muro di barili d’olio che del parco. Dopo The Floating Piers, Christo vorrebbe
segna l’inizio della loro protesta nei confronti della ora realizzare le ultime due opere di land art ideate:
costruzione del muro Berlino. I due artisti operano nel Over The River, ovvero la copertura di un torrente,
pieno della corrente Land Art: modificano il paesaggio l’Arkansas River, in Colorado, e la Mastaba, un enorme
intervenendovi a volte in maniera sostanziale, a volte parallelepipedo composto da oltre 450.000 barili di
con sottile delicatezza, ma sempre con una connotazione petrolio vuoti, nel deserto degli Emirati Arabi Uniti.
di provvisorietà. Il paesaggio è la lavagna sulla quale
le coppia disegna le proprie visioni, dialogandovi ed
enfatizzandone le caratteristiche salienti, per poi THE LAND ART OF CHRISTO AND JEANNE CLAUDE
cancellarle come con un colpo di cimosa. È questo che The artistic collaboration between the couple Christo and Jeanne-
accade per esempio con la prima grande opera di land art Claude began in 1961 in the port of Colonia and in the following
realizzata nel 1969 a Sydney, dove i due ricoprono una year in Paris with the opera Rideau de Fer, an oil barrel wall that
was the beginning of their protest against the construction of the
intera scogliera con quasi 93.000 metri quadrati di telone
Berlin wall. The two artists modify the landscape by interventions
bianco per usi agricoli. Nascono così opere a grandissima which are strong and delicate at the same time, always dealing
scala, come quella del 1976 denominata Running with a temporary connotation. The landscape is the blackboard
Fence, una barriera lunga quasi quaranta chilometri on which the couple draw their visions. This is what happened for
eretta tra le colline della campagna californiana, e instance with the first great work of land art dated 1969 in Sydney,
costituita da teli di nylon bianchi alti ciascuno oltre 5 where the two artists were able to cover an entire cliff with almost
metri. Spesso nelle opere degli artisti è evidente il tema 93,000 square meters of white textile for agricultural purposes.
della contrapposizione, orizzontalità vs verticalità, linea Another large-scale work was the Running Fence (1976), a forty-
curva vs linea retta, colori tenui vs colori scuri. Proprio kilometer long barrier built between the hills of rural California,
and made up of white nylon. Often in the works of the artists the
quest’ultimo contrasto regna nell’opera paesaggistica
theme of the contrast is clear, horizontal vs vertical, curved line
The Umbrellas (1991), realizzata contemporaneamente in vs straight line, soft colours vs dark colours. Just this last conflict
Giappone e Stati Uniti, per la quale oltre 3.000 ombrelli reigns in The Umbrellas project (1991), carried out simultaneously
colorati sono stati temporaneamente disposti in due in Japan and the United States. In Surrounded Islands, in 1983,
vallate in California e a 120 km da Tokyo. In Surrounded Christo and Jeanne-Claude explored the possibility to surround
Islands, nel 1983, Christo e Jeanne-Claude esplorano eleven islands in Biscayne Bay (Miami) with over 600,000 square
invece la possibilità di circondare undici isole della baia meters of polypropylene fabric. After the success of the Pont Neuf
di Biscayne (Miami) con oltre 600.000 metri quadrati project in Paris (1985) and the Reichstag in Berlin (1995) Christo
di superficie costituita da tessuto di polipropilene rosa. and Jeanne-Claude gained again popularity through The Gates
(2005) in Central Park, New York, where 7,503 portals were quickly
L’effetto voluto è stato quello di evidenziare come, tra
installed in order to create a 37 km long path within the park.
grandi sforzi, la popolazione di Miami abbia sempre After The Floating Piers, Christo would like to carry out the last two
vissuto tra terra e mare occupando le isole della baia. works of land art: Over The River, a river covering project (Arkansas
Dopo il successo del rivestimento totale del Pont Neuf a River, Colorado), and The Mastaba, a huge slab of more than
Parigi (1985) e del Reichstag a Berlino (1995) attraverso 450,000 empty oil barrels in the UAE desert.
Of course no one can say that visitors walk in line regardless from other provinces. During Company created by Christo fact focused on the sale of
The Floating Piers, by Christo of the strong June sun along the exhibition the dedicated and Jeanne-Claude in 1969, artistic works mainly through
and Jeanne-Claude on the lake the way, making their own trains were 1,300 transporting not only to manage artistic two channels: auction houses
Iseo was not a media success: silent tribute to the artist. about 460,000 passengers, projects but also to limit the and art dealers.
rarely so many pages have Twenty thousand eyes while 420,000 passengers have liability in case of failure of Christo and Jeanne-Claude
been written, photographs subjectively interpret the reached the land art using their projects. Through the CVJ, have decided to operate
taken and television reportages landscape of the lake framed local boats. This significant the artists could access bank outside of these traditional
and interviews carried out for between gaudy walkways impact on the area has been loans to obtain the necessary markets and to sell their work
a work of contemporary art. and the green surrounding handled through cooperation funds to realize their ideas. independently, taking on
The work is also a tribute to mountains. An aesthetic and with municipalities and local Thanks tothe reputation of the related risks, but at the
the artist’s partner who passed physical experience, tiring, authorities and has been able the artists, major international same time preserving greater
away in 2009. almost a collective and to employ 2,289 volunteers banks have participated in freedom in establishing prices
It is in the middle of the communal suffering. who were part of the big projects such as Deutsche and trading with collectors.
path that we realize the The idea of the artists, similar project with 240 daily workers Bank for Wrapped Reichstag, Beyond the purely economic
extraordinary power of this to other past works has further on. Citibank for Surronded Island issues (certainly not marginal
land art. The day is hot, been developed by means of The funding scheme used and Credit Suisse for The in a works of this scale)
barefoot people are walking a long engineering design by Christo is in itself unique Floating Piers. The revenue that perhaps the best comment on
along the lake, almost stunned work, feasibility studies and and has often attracted the guaranteed the repayment of it was by the photographer
by the installation which meetings with local authorities, attention of economists and these debts came from the sale Oliviero Toscani: “I have seen
allows new views of the stakeholders and residents. art critics for the innovative of the sketches, plans, studies so many people smiling, being
beautiful smooth shapes of the The involvement of local nature and the proximity to and preparatory documents happy , running, moving
lake Iseo. authorities and the community business models often far of the works that reached 2 differently from how normally
The lapping of the waves of has proved to be essential from the art world. The first million euro for specific pieces. they do, going to work or to
the lake, bumping against to manage the high number peculiarity of the artists is In the way these sketches are school in a very different way.
orange walkway and changing of visitors, (as previously the fact that their works are sold lies the second peculiarity Maybe art does not have to
its colour, accompanies the mentioned, about a million and implemented as projects by of the business model of be complicated as art critics
people for three kilometres; a half) 90% of which coming CVJ Corporation, a Limited Christo. The art market is in want”.