NYT: 'The Gates' Colors Central Park in Saffron

[kskiska]

NEW YORK (AP) -- With flowing fabric the color of a sunrise, ``The Gates'' -- a massive public art installation -- was unfurled Saturday for the start of a 16-day stay transforming miles of footpaths in Central Park.

The project opened with Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropping the first piece of saffron-colored fabric to the cheers of a huge crowd. He was joined by exhibit creators Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

The crowd counted down the seconds before Bloomberg, a longtime backer of the project, opened the exhibition at 8:30 a.m.

The weather was windy and cold as the first fabric dropped from one of the 7,500 16-foot-high gates, creating what the artists billed as ``a visual golden river'' along 23 miles of the park's footpaths. More than 1 million square feet of fabric was used by the artists.

more…
http://nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-The-Gates.html?hp

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Breathtaking. I will be there tomorrow.

Here is a map of the area in the park covered by the arches. It is a 23 mile walk. There are 7500 arches.

[merwin]

30. Olbermann called it something closer to nauseating :-)

[98geoduck]

61. they should build it on the whitehouse lawn and call it the Gates to Hell

[Radio_Lady]

73. I agree with Keith... it looks like crap.

Go to www.mrpicassohead.com and create your own masterpiece.

"60 Minutes" on CBS did one of their features on the Christo couple. Jeanne-Claude's haircolor is beyond belief! I used to work for Clairol and when a color developed that kind of intensity, we went to work to correct it!

Amazing! Really! And people spend their money to see this crap?
What would be amazing is if they spent all their money helping needy children or families -- they could use the saffron colored fabric to cover beds or bodies where it is used for some purpose.

[sleipnir]

2. Walking through sometime next week.

I'd love to go on Sunday, but it's going to be jammed packed.

[Stephanie]

46. It wasn't really that crowded today

Crowded, sure, but not jam packed. Definitely enjoyable.

[Danmel]

3. Next Saturday, we'll be there

We're going to see the NYC Ballet at Lincoln Center, then off to see The Gates. Should be interesting.

[kskiska]

4. Dumb Freep Remarks:

To: IronJack

It's hideous. All "under construction" orange. I thought at least there would be different colors. There should be signs all over saying "Please pardon our appearance."

8 posted on 02/12/2005 7:59:24 AM PST by reasonseeker

----------

To: finnman69

meh.

If the average person has the skill to do it, it's not really "art".

13 posted on 02/12/2005 9:11:59 AM PST by Little Pig (Is it time for "Cowboys and Muslims" yet?)

------------

To: reasonseeker

Since today is the first I've heard of it, I had no expectations. I do, however, wish there had been different colors, as well.
Oh well. At least there are miles of bright orange in Central Park in the middle of February.

Anyone have pictures of the Surrouding Islands? I bet that was cool.

15 posted on 02/12/2005 9:19:03 AM PST by mabelkitty (Blackwell for Governor in 2006!!!)

[mountainvue]

41. "If the average person has the skill to do it, it's not really "art".

The lot of them probably couldn't hang drapes in my living room.

[cornermouse]

5. Does New York City ever have tornadoes?

Actually I like orange, but I can't help but think that a tornado would really make the fabric flow, float, and fly.

Maybe Christo should become a tornado chaser...

[ldf]

7. we have quite enough wind, thank you, to fill the fabric

a tornado shouldn't be wished on anyone.

i think you had a brain fart.

:-)

[cornermouse]

8. And I quote; "With flowing fabric the color of a sunrise"

Having just seen the row of orange curtains flapping in the breeze on the tv, I couldn't resist.

Lacking a sense of humor are we?

And yes, I know very well what tornadoes are like. I've lived with them all my life.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

6. I'm sorry guys.... I have to agree w/ Keith Oberman....

(Who lives across the street from Central Park BTW)

It's bad. That's our opinion. He's also not looking forward to the millions of Tourists who are supposed to view this thing, all that increased traffic isn't going to be good for the health of the Park.

Freep away!

[ldf]

9. central park

is THERE for crowds of people to enjoy, for whatever reason. it has handled a lot larger crowds. and they won't all be there at once.

and "freep away"? anyone critical of criticisms are freeps?

i, too, am not happy with the color, but i would not presume to dictate someone else's concept of art. it's their dime...

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Central Park is a PUBLIC PARK

the grass will grow back.

This is a great project and a lot of people in NYC will make a lot of money from the extra business that it will generate.

It sure beats blowing a billion a week in Iraq.

[henslee]

16. I like conceptual & envirnomental art but I think this is retarded in

every way but hey NYers, knock yourself out. It all strikes me as pretentious, invasive, self absorbed , psuedo itnellectual. Not a doubt in my mind that the project has all sorts of hidden costs and problems like security and who knows what else. I would have fallen for crap art like this at one point in my life but the notion that it will spur tourism and be a boon to NY is bullshit. They said the same thing about the RNC. I liked my Central Park spooky, and unmanipulated. I liked my 42nds street the same way. NY is becoming Universal City Walk.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

18. I wouldn't go that far..... I just think it's Ugly, and detracts

from the beauty of the Park itself.

[henslee]

20. true it does... but I guess there is something about this art piece as

an event that I cannot escape. Its on the news, its on the net... I don't know. I'm just a a grumpy fart these days.

[bettyellen]

22. don't worry about the park, it'll be around/intact long afer you are gone.

[smirkymonkey]

28. I agree with you

nothing can compete with the natural beauty of the park as it is. My office looks out over the park and I am just happy that it is only two weeks so that it doesn't interfere with the beauty of the park coming into full bloom in the spring.

The color really is much too harsh, perhaps if it was toned down a few shades it wouldn't contrast so much with the park's natural serenity.

[Stephanie]

47. I am hoping it will snow - then the color will look amazing

I was sort of disappointed by the color. It is definitely orange, not saffron. It was pretty when the wind caught the curtains. But at times it was just tedious.

[smirkymonkey]

57. Yes, then it would really be something to see!

I thought a more muted shade of orange (saffron) would make all the difference as well.

I thought saffron was the color of the Hare Krishna robes, which is definitely a much softer, serene color than construction site orange.

I am going to walk through sometime mid-week when the traffic is lighter, so I will have to see for myself as I have been judging it on what it looks like from the 50th floor of an office building.

[Stephanie]

58. It will look pretty today, now that the sun's out

When the sun peeked through yesterday it really lit up the fabric. I'm tempted to go back today and take another look.

[merwin]

31. Here here. But hey, who cares if the park looks like a construction zone.

[Johnny Noshoes]

52. "NY is becoming Universal City Walk".

That is so true. I'm beginning to think that I live and work in a theme park rather than a city. I work in the Time's Square area and granted it was pretty sleazy once but now I swear if you didn't know better you might not know you were in New York when you walk down 42nd street. If some of these tourists would just try walking a couple of blocks to Ninth Avenue they'd find almost every kind of food they could think of in all the different restaurants along Ninth Ave. Instead they head to Applebees or worse McDonalds because its safe and just like the mall back home. Too many have no sense of adventure.


"When you trade your values for the hope of winning, you end up losing and having no values....so you keep losing." Howard Dean 2004

[Stephanie]

55. Yeah but if the tourists went to OUR restaurants -

we might have to wait for a table! Let them have their Red Lobster. It just cracks me up to see them going in those places.

[MADem]

23. I'm in agreement

I realize, art is a personal thing. One man's trash is another's treasure. But try as I might to see the "beauty" in it, it looks like hare krishna washing hung out to dry. Sloppily. IMHO, it is UGLY, UGLY, UGLY. I do not see beauty, I see a hideous eyesore that will require additional police protection because some people can't just say "Ugh!" and leave it at that, they'll want to vandalize it.

I am not a fan of this Cristo guy. He basically wraps shit in cloth, on an enormous scale, and calls it art. If I tried to pull that crap in art class, I'd get an F. He has good publicity, so everyone OOHHHS and AAAAHS. He often does it in places of great natural beauty, that--again, IMHO--don't need his "help" to make them more beautiful. He's like one of those makeover shows, on a large scale, where they take some poor woman who could use a little perking up, and RUIN her with a horrible hairstyle and clothes that do not suit her physique or personality, and then they sit back clapping madly, when the poor thing looks like absolute shit and is clearly miserable.

Now, if he draped the White House in black crepe, maybe I would change my mind. Or if he wrapped the Hill in blood stained camouflage, I might be swayed.

But I can't get past the sense, looking at his stuff, that it is more about HIM than anything else. And he's a one-trick pony....gee, where can I hang boldly colored fabric in an outrageous way today?

To each his own, though. People who like it, I'm happy for them. I think I'll wait to go to NYC again until after the eyesore is gone, however....

[smirkymonkey]

29. You might like the following quote:

"Abstract Art: A product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered."
Albert Camus

[MADem]

34. Love it!

I think Camus was right. I find it amazing that you can dip your cat's ass in paint, have them scrub it off on a canvas, put on some oddball clothes and affect an 'air' and people will buy the stuff...providing you have the right marketing, and a group of syncophants who will OOOOH and AAAAH over it. Never mind that pesky art school, the perspective classes, the talent...it's all about the BIG IDEA. Kinda like the Emperor and his clothes...an allegory for this misadministration, perhaps?

I am not suggesting that we TALIBAN the art world, mind you, and ban these modern things. I just look at "abstract art" as more like graphic design--yes, there is work involved, there is even an element of petit-art involved in the way things are placed, colors chosen, and so forth, but it ain't no Mona Lisa, IMHO. I think there's a case for discrimination, and it's based on the difficulty of the work. I know kids who can do better Picasso than Picasso, and most are under age 8!

I think the biggest con in the world was Andy Warhol and his silk screens--what a racket!!! The boy "sampled" the work of others, did it in bright colors, and BIG, and everyone said "genius!!!!" Naaah, clever marketeer, faddish, trendy...but not a genius.

Other's mileage may vary, of course. I'm speaking strictly for myself, and I'm not so invested in this opinion that I wanna fight about it! So, those who like it, enjoy...blessings...happiness!

[smirkymonkey]

37. Actually Jackson Pollock would have my vote

for biggest con, and if it wasn't for Peggy Guggenheim he'd just go down in history as another obnoxious drunk with pretensions - who dared to call Picasso a hack, by the way.

I would agree with you that it should be categorized more as design or graphic arts than as fine art. Actually, in some cases, such as Pollock, I would probably even call it "performance art".

[hippywife]

10. The money!

The artists are paying for the project -- which could be as much as $21 million -- themselves.

I'm an artist myself but if I had that kind of money to throw around, I would be thinking of the homeless not the tourists.

[Payback Time]

14. Orange is a Spiritual Color

That's why Buddhist monks wear Saffron Robes. This may be expensive (so is making a Hollywood film, etc.) and I agree it would be immensely better if it was connected with a way to heal lives and end suffering; yet it still has benefits:
1) causes people to see a familiar landscape in a completely different way
2) creates positive energy, causes people to smile (orange is such a happy color), celebrate, get out together and play
3) probably creates good chi, too, because of the yang color and the movement and fresh air

[MADem]

24. It's also the color of

...those "enemy combatant" jumpsuits at Gitmo.

Now, wouldn't that be an interesting title for a musical group? Say, one of those boy bands...all wearing orange jumpsuits??? OK girls, get ready, it's the ENEMY COMBATANTS!!!!!! (Out come four plastic lads, as the young girls scream and cheer!).

(Sorry, free associating, there....)

[sacxtra]

32. Your right on it.

Violet would be the true spiritual color

[juajen]

40. I agree. It is spiritual to me, as well as uplifting.. The material is

beautiful and I would love the chance to go and walk under those arches.

I am an artist. I paint in the abstract, but when I need to, love realism and impressionism.

It's wrong to attempt to categorize art or artists; and, yes, I did study art, learn prospective, color therapy, etc.

Artists attempt to portray a feeling, idea or freedom to express in what they paint. An artist is not born every minute, nor is an art critic. Art often and should give expression to what is happening in history and in art at any given moment, and the artist portrays it in whatever way he/she/or it wishes. New materials, methods, and electronic media influence today's world of art. What will tomorrow bring?

As far as the material is concerned, it is very beautiful. Fabric just happens to be these artist's medium, while mine is acrylic or oil paint, pastels, watercolor, ink.

The only criticism that I feel has some validity is the fragility of the art, which will be gone in 19 days. However, some of mine is gone much faster than that. Ever see a mad artist?

[bettyellen]

19. they raised the money for the project, silly so they are not at liberty

to give it to the homeless.
they are artists, and like it or not some people support that.
the donors could have chosen another charity of course, but christo could not.

[hippywife]

35. Everything I've read so far

says they are paying for it themselves, including security and insurance. Even if they did raise the money - $21-22 million for only a 16 day exhibit, mind you - people who have that kind of money to throw around don't consider what a tiny portion of that could mean to someone. For some it is literally the difference between life and death.

[Lindacooks]

42. Yep, it would be different if there weren't so many homeless

families in this country. That amount of money could save quite a few lives, you're right.

And in my opinion, it's kind of silly looking.

[bettyellen]

43. they are paying for it becasue they prefer not to be sponsored

by a corporation. it also costs more becasue they pay every single worker on every single project instead of relying on volunteers as artists often do. so they sell a lot of their work to keep themselves in a position to do more work. that's their life. i think they have a lot of integrity, and it's disheartening to hear the assumption that they are not charitable or considerate enough for you. what makes you think you know everything they spend their time and money on?

[girl gone mad]

44. From what I know, they are very charitable people.

They have a reputation for helping out other artist in need.

Not only is the project putting people to work and attracting tourists, I'm also certain that it is great publicity for them.

It's not the project I would have done, but there were probably all kinds of constraints om just what they could do.

[Stephanie]

49. I don't know what you are reading - they RAISE the money -

by selling sketches and renderings of the project. The money would not EXIST without the project. They don't just dip into their savings account. And this notion that money spent on art is wasted is ridiculous, IMO. What about money spent on football games? Wouldn't it have been better to spend the millions that went toward producing the Super Bowl on the homeless instead?

______________________

http://www.nymetro.com/nymetro/arts/features/10897/index.html

He leaves Jeanne-Claude downstairs to conduct interviews and schedule visits by collectors, several of whom now visit their studio each day. The works are priced by size: The small collages, measuring eleven inches by eight and a half inches, sell for $30,000; the wall-size drawings, at four and three quarters feet by eight feet, go for $600,000. The Gates, which is being financed entirely by the Christos, with not a penny of grants, city money, or donations, is budgeted at $20 million—which translates to a lot of collages, drawings, sketches, and models. “Nobody comes up here unless they are buying!” Jeanne-Claude says. “Are you buying?”

______________________

[hippywife]

56. Yes

it would be better to spend all the horrendous amounts of money for any type of such event to help people most in need. I never said money spent on art is wasted but when there are millions of dollars involved while people are suffering, I do think it is incredibly frivolous. Events like the Super Bowl only serve to make the rich more rich. Sure some of the money provides work for some but the bulk of it goes into the pockets of those who need it least.

We've gotten to be a society that values its entertainment, lifestyle and possessions above the needs of its fellow man worldwide. In other words, very self-centered just like the motivation for this project according to the article you posted. They do raise the money themselves but from this read, it merely points out that every work they have done has been for sale to finance this project. It's been their driving motivation from the sounds of it.

Like so many people these days we don't have much expendable income at all, but if we and many people like us can take what little we have left over to help someone else in need how can people with so much justify spending this kind of money on something that will be gone in 16 days when it could bring so much comfort and change the lives of those most in need?

There's a serious disconnect here. Art not bad...overindulgent waste when there is so much need however is unconscionable. Art should celebrate and make commentary on life and the human condition, not be produced in place of it.

[Stephanie]

48. They raise the money by selling sketches of the project

and other documentation. They don't just reach into their pockets. They make the project pay for itself.

[Catt03]

11. I think this is great

saw the islands in Miami and the fence in California. Quite spectacular.

I am thinking of flying up from Florida on Friday to see it. If anyone goes, please give me a critique. Thanks

[bettyellen]

21. my friend just called me from there and he says it's spectacular......

he's on a doc crew and he says it's wild to see something of the scale and walk in the midst of it and be surrounded by the movement of it.
he is not a gallery/ museum loving guy, but he says everybody there today has goosebumps. people are loving it.
i didn't realize it's only for two weeks. i think i'm going to have to try and go tommorrow.

[Atlas Mugged]

65. I'll be there Thursday.

Since I live in WNY, I'm taking a morning flight and coming home that evening.

The videos (or DVDs) of their projects are as amazing as the final pieces, themselves.

I'm basically responding so you don't feel so isolated!

[Catt03]

67. Thanks to both of you

I am planning on flying up the 25th and back Sunday.

[kskiska]

12. Saffron (the color)

Fire worship had its origin in the Vedic age. The foremost hymn in the Rig Veda glorifies fire: "Agnimile purohitam yagnasya devam rtvijam, hotaram ratna dhatamam." When sages moved from one ashram to another, it was customary to carry fire along. The inconvenience to carry a burning substance over long distances may have given rise to the symbol of a saffron flag. Triangular and often forked saffron flags are seen fluttering atop most Sikh and Hindu temples. While Sikhs regard it as a militant color, Buddhist monks and Hindu saints wear robes of this color as a mark of renunciation of material life.

[devinsgram]

15. This time next Saturday, I will be there viewing this work

of art. What is beautiful to some, may not be to others. Cristo has done other projects of this size and all magnificent to those of us who appreciate fine art.

[cornermouse]

17. A good sunrise outdoes anything Christo could dream up.

[Radio_Lady]

72. Sunsets and rainbows in Hawaii and Florida are more beautiful...

I even have a gorgeous photo of a saffron colored sky outside our house. Much better than wrapping bridges and islands with color.

[Rochambeau]

25. Some others Artworks from Christo & J.Claude :

These are my favorites (warning some images come from the artists' official web site and there's HEAVY traffic today):

The Berlin Reichstag Wrapped(my very favorite) (1995) :






The California 1000 Yards Running Fence (1976) :




The Paris Pont-Neuf Wrapped 1985) :

[union_maid]

26. The photo is great

Overall, I'm with the naysayers, though. I think it's mostly ridiculous and pointless. I think that about a lot of conceptual art, though.

[applegrove]

27. Orange is such an amazing color. Cristo rocks!!!

Did anyone else not know that "Pink Islands" was a representation of female privates? Tell that to FLORIDA!! Let us all say it was a Lesbian thang

[Sleepless In NY]

33. Considering what bush allowed to happen here, it's fitting

Given what we have learned about bush's ignoring all pre 9/11 intelligence, it almost seems symbolic.
The orange color reminds me of terrorist alerts & protests, both of which we have been through here.

Is it ugly? to some yes, but what happened to NY is even uglier, so I think it's fitting. Ironic, that bloomberg wouldn't allow a protest in Cental Park during the RNC convention, because it would "hurt" the grass, but for this, hoping thousands of tourists will come in , wont. So essentially when it comes to freedom of speech,to talk about what really happened on 9/11, to protest, we are behind the "Gates", aren't we? Penned in. Just my interpetation.

[smirkymonkey]

39. Good point

or points. Very symbolic.

[amazona]

36. sheesh

At least it isn't during migration. What a thing to do in one of the few islands in the city left for birds and wildlife.

People really don't care about anything except their own pleasure, do they?

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Stephanie]

50. oh please - this project does not affect the wildlife

You think the Park is empty unless Christo does a project there? The Park is filled with people every single day. The Gates are only on the pedestrian pathways, which are asphalt. They are spaced so they do not touch any low-hanging branches. They do not impact the health of the Park at all, except that perhaps some grass might get trampled. I am just amazed at the negativity on this thread.

[amazona]

59. large fluttering red/orange objects

...most certainly do terrify birds.

The birds that use the park are used to people but a bird's instinctive response to large swaths of orange/red are not so easily overcome.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Catchawave]

38. I bet this is amazing in person....

...guess I'll have to settle for the print version when I visit Gotham in May.

[MADem]

45. If this was done through contributions...

...ole Christo and the missus must skim some off the top for their living expenses, unless they are independently wealthy. Does anyone know?

[Stephanie]

51. What do you mean "skim off the top"?

Do you think artists should starve to death, or do you think they should be able to earn a living from their work? Do you think art should exist at all? Or is it just a waste of time and money? What if it's art you yourself don't like - should it be allowed to exist, or should only MADem-approved art be on display in NY? What art do you like, if any? What if it were not you, but George Bush, who got to decide what art is displayed, and what artists are banished because they are not to his taste? Would that be a good system?

The Christo's money is raised through selling sketches of the project -

______________________

http://www.nymetro.com/nymetro/arts/features/10897/index.html

He leaves Jeanne-Claude downstairs to conduct interviews and schedule visits by collectors, several of whom now visit their studio each day. The works are priced by size: The small collages, measuring eleven inches by eight and a half inches, sell for $30,000; the wall-size drawings, at four and three quarters feet by eight feet, go for $600,000. The Gates, which is being financed entirely by the Christos, with not a penny of grants, city money, or donations, is budgeted at $20 million—which translates to a lot of collages, drawings, sketches, and models. “Nobody comes up here unless they are buying!” Jeanne-Claude says. “Are you buying?”

______________________

[MADem]

53. I meant, by 'skim off the top'

...that they take a CUT from the 21 or 22 MILLION that they collected from the project. I was curious to know how much of a cut, if any, they took, or if they are wealthy philanthropists who underwrote this project out of their own coffers out of the goodness of their hearts. I now see from your posting that they are selling very high priced collages to fund the thing. I'd be interested to know how much went to the project, and how much is taken as "salary" for his business, which is putting cloth up in public places and saying it is art, IMHO.

You seem a bit angry because I don't like this guy's creations. As I said in a post further up, I don't want to get in a huge fight over what people like and don't like. I don't like this particular guy's stuff, but I ask you please do not extrapolate my dislike for this one guy to a dislike for all "artists." That is an unfair characterization. If Da Vinci or Van Gogh were alive today, I'd give them room at my inn. I have a large collection of original art from a number of artists, live, dead, western, eastern, starving and otherwise. I am not without appreciation for the arts. This guy does not meet my personal standard. If he meets yours, well, then I am happy for you.

I have as much right as the next person to like, hate, or be indifferent to, a given artist or a given work. And if I harbor a sense that a guy who says "Nobody comes up here unless they are buying!" is not in it totally for the art, well, that's my perogative. But, hey, everyone's mileage may vary on this issue.

That's the American way. So far, anyway...

[Stephanie]

54. I read your other posts, which is why I responded the way I did

Your posts are rather hostile toward contemporary art and also toward the artists. It's your prerogative to like what you like, of course. I just think you are ill-informed as an art critic, based on statements like this:

I know kids who can do better Picasso than Picasso, and most are under age 8!

But to each his own.

[MADem]

70. But you see, I am not an art critic

I am just an ordinary citizen. I never claimed to be an art critic. As I stated, initially, art is a personal thing, and my personal opinion is that this effort is ugly. I won't get mad at you for liking it, that's your choice and your delight.

I actually do like some contemporary art, particularly eastern art. I'm not hostile towards all artists, there are three in my extended family. I just think this guy is a BS'er, and his 'work' is lousy. That should actually please him, because art is supposed to evoke emotion. I won't cheer him because it is supposedly cutting edge, politically correct, or because everyone else is doing it. I'm not dull of comprehension, and I think his 'concept' is a dud. That is my choice, my delight!

Again, I ask you, please don't extrapolate my opinion about one person to encompass all artists. It's not fair to tar me with that brush.

[Stephanie]

71. Are you asking me not to extrapolate from your opinion of Christo?

or of Picasso?

[MADem]

76. Either one

If I happen not to care for Wagner and Handel, that does not mean I dislike all classical music. If I don't care for movies starring Tom Cruise or Arnold Schwartzennegger, that does not mean that I hate all movies, or even all action movies. I don't like Picasso's crap with the eyes in the middle of the forehead, but I do like his earlier stuff. I don't think Christo is an artist at all. But that doesn't mean I can't appreciate any artists because I discriminate between that which pleases me, and that which does not.

As I have said, if it makes people happy, they should enjoy, they should celebrate, they should enthuse. But those of us who aren't impressed have a right to express our sincerely held opinions, too.

[SOS]

60. A great day for Central Park

Got out the bike yesterday and rode from 84th down to Central Park South.
It was fantastic!
People were out on a cool damp February day and the feeling was really positive.
The people were taking pictures, laughing, smiling, walking, biking, talking to each other. It was a real buzz.
Joyful and uplifting.

[Mabel Dodge]

62. Geeze...the attitude is amazing

Art isn't always beautiful.
Art doesn't always last a life time.
Art isn't always complicated.
Art isn't always understandable.

In fact if it follows a formula, chances are it isn't art (just look at those "starving artist sales" in hotels)

This piece is making people think and talk. It's bringing out emotion and gives a new perspective.

In my humble opinion this is art and its great art.

By the way, it's just as important to feed the sprit as well as the body and they are giving it to us for FREE.

Thanks Christo and Jeanne-Claude for your gift to the world.

[Rabrrrrrr]

63. Nicely said!

Some of these people are pissing me off.

[Atlas Mugged]

66. Thank you - well put.

[Rabrrrrrr]

64. I'm so sad I'm not there - I've waited YEARS! for this

and then, finally, as soon as I move, the *@#*(^% thing finally happens.

I love Cristo! Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

And this one looks amazing.

Damn!! Wish I was there!

[Stephanie]

68. You moved?

Weren't you in Brooklyn? Where did you move? You should come next weekend and see it.

[DS1]

69. Good lord, what an asshole

:eyes:

[Radio_Lady]

74. How will they dispose of all the materials when Feb. 27 arrives?

They have steel, bolts, fabric... etc. Is it going to the Fresh Kills landfill???

[Stephanie]

75. that's cold

they will recycle it