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February 09, 2005
The Gates
I caught a first glimpse of The Gates in Central Park yesterday. It looks like this at the moment. The orange ("saffron") color is a stark contrast to the natural colors of the park in winter, but it has a pleasing, celebratory effect. The drawings on the Christo and Jeanne-Claud's site reminded me of Japanese Samurai for some reason (something about long lines of tall, straight gates with fabric blowing in the wind -- maybe I'm thinking of marching Samurai? Do Samurai even march? Do they march with orange flags? I think I'm mixing something up with Lord of the Rings).
Apparently Christos groupies are flooding the city. I'm upset that we'll miss the opening day but I can't wait to visit on Monday, and we have 16 days to walk around in it. It will be interesting to see what happens when it's windy -- I'm not sure if the fabric will move all at once or sequentially for a ripple effect. Thank goodness for the Christo and Jeanne-Claud and their generosity and creativity (gotta love Jeanne-Claude's hair). Some bright orange in the middle of winter is exactly what we need.
Here's a long New York Mag article on The Gates, and a map of where the 7,500 gates will be. The nyc.gov site seems to have a good deal of info. I like this photo of a previous Christos project: Pont Neuf wrapped (1985), and the drawings here of an upcoming Over the River project, but I think The Gates will take the cake.
Update
There's an article about Cristo volunteers today in the NY Times.
Posted by csageday at February 9, 2005 01:14 AM
Comments
I saw the Gates from afar as I walked by the park yesterday. I like the concept, but think the color is misguided. Safety orange? If I didn't know it was an art installation I would mistake it for construction scaffolding. I love orange but think maybe a berry or blue would have been more striking.
Posted by: Melissa at February 10, 2005 10:29 AM
Actually, a coworker of mine (who lives under a rock and doesn't read the news) thought it WAS construction scaffolding, so you have a point. But I kind of like the effect -- bright blue might have worked, but it wouldn't really turn heads like the orange will -- especially once the fabric is there. I mean, the point of safety orange is that it draws your attention, right?
Posted by: Cindy at February 10, 2005 11:40 AM