SULZANO, Italy (Reuters) — After under two years of planning but a personal cost of 15 million euros ($17 million), Bulgarian-born artist Christo, is set to inaugurate his latest art installation, this time in Italy. The project is entitled ‘The Floating Piers’, and it will allow people to literally walk on water.
With a bird’s-eye view from the mountains overlooking Lake Iseo, 100 kilometers (62 miles) east of Milan, the concept of the 81-year-old’s latest artistic feat can clearly be seen.
A 3-kilometer (1.8 mile) walkway rests on the surface of the lake and branches out from the mainland town of Sulzano to incorporate the islands of Monte Isola and San Paolo, which are normally only accessible by boat.
The construction of the ‘piers’ has been quite an engineering achievement. 220,000 high-density polyethlene cubes have been attached together and anchored by divers to concrete slabs on the lake floor. 16 meters (52 feet) wide and 35 centimeters (14 inches) high, the walkway will undulate with the movement of the waves as people walk upon it.
Covering the cubes are 100,000 square meters (1.08 million square feet) of yellow fabric that will change colour from red to gold depending on the light. The fabric can also be seen draped on some of the streets of Sulzano.
The work will only remain for a couple of weeks at the site, which, the artist says is all part of its beauty.
“The temporal character is also related to the dynamics of the project” Christo explained.
“The project is designed to a particular moment of a voyage of many years. You know the work of art is not the fourteen days or sixteen days. The work of art is all that journey to that fourteen or sixteen days” he said.
“Altogether is that work of art and it created for many, many weeks or months or years, it created expectation, people against the project, people for the project and finally the work is installed” Christo said.
Christo, along with his wife Jeanne-Claude who died in 2009, have completed some 23 installations including the “Wrapped Reichstag” in Berlin in 1995 when the artist wrapped the German parliament in silvery foil and “The Gates” in New York’s Central park in 2005 where vinyl gates were planted along 37 kilometers (23 miles) of pathway.
But the artist says all his works have a common theme.
“Our project is all about joy and beauty. Absolutely, totally useless, unnecessary. No one needs them except myself, Jeanne-Claude and some friends. This is why they have this irrational absolutely inexplicable freedom that exists because that is what it is” Christo explained.
“It is not propoganda it is not messages, not anything, it is only feel it. See it, feel it, move it, have all the senses” he said.
The beauty of the installation is certainly in line with the natural beauty of the local environment.
The local population are enthralled, if a little confused.
“I think it’s exciting. I think the tourists are more excited than the people living here. I think they are a little bit afraid about what is going to happen, the infrastructure. But I think it is a great idea” said an English resident of Sulzano Mandy Zoqua.
“Christo’s art is an art form that communicates with people and it is very emotional. We are expecting a big flow of tourists and there will be knock on benefits to this for the islands, Sulzano and the whole Lake Iseo area” said local tourist guide Stefano Brambille.
“It’s a great breath of life particularly for the hotel owners and commerce in general. It’s just a shame it will only last for a short length of time. I don’t understand why it doesn’t last for longer, only fifteen days seems too short to me” said pensioner Guerini Amabile.
Christo explained that all his works of art are on display for a short period of time, on this occasion the Floating Piers will be open at the time of maximum light in the area.
The current Italian installation will open on June 18 and will run until July 3, 2016. Half a million tourists are expected to come and visit the site, which will be free of charge and organizers say there will be volunteers on hand in case anyone should fall in.