It was 21 years in the making, but this past Saturday saw the unveiling of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s spectacular new project, “The Gates,” in New York’s Central Park.
Consisting of more than a million feet of saffron-colored nylon, 60 miles of vinyl tube and more than 5 thousand tons of steel, “The Gates” is the single largest project to ever exhibit in New York City.
The exhibition features 7,500 rectangular archways, framing saffron curtains that billow in the wind as they weave their way through 23 miles of paths. Designed to be a “visual golden river,” the spectacle dominates the Central Park landscape.
Christo and Jean-Claude work in grand public spaces. They are famous for wrapping the Reichstag in silvery fabric in 1995, surrounding several Florida islands in pink fabric in the early ’80s and dotting the landscapes of Japan and California with 3,100 large umbrellas in 1991. It is the creative pair’s first work of art in New York City.
The project was first envisioned by the couple in 1979, but the New York City Parks Department rejected it in 1981. Since then Christo and Jean-Claude have had success in other venues but have always returned to their idea for Central Park.
When Michael Bloomberg was elected mayor of New York City, the couple saw their chance. They reapplied with the city and, in 2003, Bloomberg, a longtime friend and supporter, announced to the world that he had approved the project. It will remain in Central Park for 16 days, after which it will be dismantled and recycled.
Like all of their projects, Christo and Jean-Claude are footing the $21 million bill through sales of studies, preparatory drawings and earlier works. It employs New York residents in all phases of work: manufacture, assembly, installation and removal. Maintenance teams stroll the grounds nonstop, and extra security has been added at night to prevent vandalism or theft of elements of the project, most specifically the saffron curtains.
Thousands of people lined up to see the unveiling Saturday. They cheered as Mayor Bloomberg unfurled the first of the arches, accompanied by a class of fourth-graders counting down the seconds. On a cold and rainy morning, the brightly colored archways were a welcome sight.
But reaction has been mixed so far. While many in attendance found the overall effect breathtaking, many wondered at the cost and purpose of the exhibit. Unveiled during a time of economic uncertainty and concerns over security, many consider it to be mere extravagance. Bloomberg alluded to the controversy during the unveiling when he noted, “I can’t promise, particularly since this is New York, that everyone will love ‘The Gates,’ but I guarantee that they will all talk about it, and that’s really what innovative, provocative art is supposed to do.”
When asked to comment, Christo told the Associated Press, “It’s very difficult. You ask us to talk. This project is not involving talk. It’s a real, physical space. It’s not necessary to talk. You spend time, you experience the project.”
Whether or not they consider it art, the spectacle is expected to draw up to 200,000 new tourists to New York City, although more conservative estimates hover around 90,000. All around Central Park, business are geared up for the influx of visitors, even going so far as to create saffron-inspired themes for the two weeks the exhibit will remain standing. With the exchange rate where it is, New York has seen an economic boom from European tourism in recent months. Christo and Jean-Claude’s project is expected to draw more Europeans.
Whatever the short-term effect, “The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979-2005” looks to have a lasting impact upon the cultural prestige of a city already among the top cities throughout the world. Mayor Bloomberg has publicly admitted to hoping that the exhibit does for New York City what the wrapping of the Reichstag did for Berlin tourism. Tourism officials in Berlin have long attributed part of the rise in tourism to the international exposure that was the result of Christo and Jean-Claude’s work in the city.
