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February 15, 2005
The Gates, Part II
Well, I've been to the lower west corner of Central Park, and I've joined thousands of tourists in whipping out my digital camera and shooting The Gates from every possible angle. It's a lot of steel and orange and right angles and boxy pedestals. At some moments, it comes together for me and I feel as excited as I did last week, but for the most part I feel a need to make sense of it as a work of art.
It's provocative, which is a plus for any public work. If there were a major sponsor (Home Depot, say) or some political association (the orange revolution), the project would have a completely different impact. We could criticize it for its blatent commercialism or hail it as an expression of democratic might. As it is, you have to accept it on purely visual terms.
Cristo and Jeanne-Claude wrap objects in order to reveal the resulting abstract form. These forms are beautiful on their own terms, and may or may not resemble the underlying structure. Central Park offers quiet, fresh air, walkways, and natural views to its visitors -- perhaps the Cristos are trying to wrap the air and light here? Between their rigid frames, the fabric constantly moves with the wind and changes color based on the available light. Nearby branches cast shadows, and in some spots gates cast shadows on other gates. The flags make us aware of exactly how the air is moving above us and where our path is leading. You cannot do anything in the park without being aware that you are inside or outside one of The Gates' paths.
Inside the Time Warner building there are huge drapes -- one on each side of the huge window and one running across the top. The effect is to present the view of the park as if it were on stage. The Gates seem to aspire to a similar effect -- each gate frames a view of the park, with a little theatrical curtain at the top, dressing up the spectacle. Since The Gates are so much more noticable from the street, it's as if the framing of the spectacle is taking precedence over the show itself.
Derek suggested that the camera-wielding crowds are part of the installation -- many people are concentrating more on their camera angles than on The Gates (it's not really possible to capture on film -- it's fun to try but the art has too much to do with being IN the park). This seems to fit in with the "framing" theory.
What's arresting is that to the gates are so blatantly unnatural. The color and fabric don't lend themselves to natural beauty. The celebratory feel I was imagining was upstaged by the sheer magnitude of the project and the materials used. What does orange mean to most people? Take caution? Citrus? Clay has mentioned wanting to vandalize it or mix it up a bit, and I can see how the endless repetition of the same color and form -- both entirely artificial -- would encourage that. It has been vandalized at least once.
Maybe The Gates are a comment on the original project of building Central Park? Olmstead and Vaux did a lot of taming of natural tendencies to create the "natural" landscape we see today -- perhaps the distortion of the orange is a nod to the original corruption of a natural experience?
Another feature of this project seems to be our changing reaction to it. I've been on boths ends of the emotional scale -- when I first saw the gates I was ecstatic. Now I find them impressive but perhaps I've been swayed a bit by less than enthusiastic opinions. I can imagine a very practical friend saying "What's the point?" I think I may find it uplifting again tomorrow or the next day. Given a gloomy day with limited visibility, they may set an entirely different tone. When I took one last look on my way home tonight (in the dark), I felt as if I'd stumbled on something beautiful.
Posted by csageday at February 15, 2005 10:55 PM
Comments
i don't find the gates provacative at all. refreshing, yes. provacative, not so much. i use the park nearly everyday and what i like best about the gates is their color. by this time of year, winter has grown old. the drab, colorless skies and lack of foilage are enervating. to be struck by color upon entering the park is quite refreshing, especially when caught in the early morning sunlight, as on sunday (2/13) and even this morning (2/15).
the view across the north meadow from the east side is spectacular. here, the angle in which the gates are set form a continuous, sinuous line of orange across the park. because of the hill in which they are placed, the bottom bases are not visible. it is quite striking.
because i use the park at an early hour i have been able to have nearly private viewings. perhaps my opinion would be different had i viewed them amongst the mid-afternoon hordes. i also want to repeat the sentiments of someone quoted in the times, "there will be a large void once the gates are gone".
Posted by: r at February 16, 2005 12:17 AM