I've asked a few friends to share their impression of visiting The Gates. First up is my friend Andrew. He is an artist, designer, and teacher. He makes frequent visits to the city so I was interested to see what he thought of the event. You can find Andrew on his blog, AndrewBorloz.blogspot.com, and his stencil designs for StencilGirlProducts are HERE.
Before I went to Central Park to see what the fuss Christo's The Gates is all about, I had seen the photos of his other art installations such as the pink fabric around the islands in Miami, the yellow umbrellas in California, the white wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin, and the orange curtain wall in Colorado. I was both fascinated and mystified by all of these large-scale works, but with my mindset being more of a designer than an artist, I often questioned the practicality, validity and aesthetics of these installations.
When The Gates was completed, I decided that I would go there just to experience what it is like to walk under these orange curtains. With the bright orange fabric shining brightly, waving briskly on some days and popping out in the drab & grayish landscape, it was a whole new physical experience for me. Instead of looking at the flat photograph of the artwork, I was walking through it and experiencing it in three-dimensional form. And it was fun to watch people's reactions to how the drapes move with the wind.
I was wondering as to whom the whole project was done for. I found out that it was Christo who did it just for himself. Not as a "public service" but it was nothing more than a humongous implementation of his personal artistic vision. It was really an incredible achievement as it can be quite difficult to convince some people with no artistic sensibility that it is a worthwhile project with minimal impact on the natural environment. There was really nothing practical about these "gates" except that they drew more people to the park and generated income, not only for the artist, but for the city and the park themselves.
Having worked as an exhibit designer for some time, I thought these gates were really cool, and somehow they helped created tunnel-like space on the park's walkways. I felt like I was walking through the curvilinear tubes and yet didn't feel closed in because of its openness. I did really enjoy the whole experience in spite of its impracticality.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Andrew!
To see more of Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work, as Andrew mentioned, visit: ChristoJeanneClaude.net/