CHRISTO & JEANNE-CLAUDE : «THE RUNNING FENCE»
BY
DOMITILLE BOULIN Figure 1: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76» - 2 - The performing arts have always been a significant and influential part of my life. From dancing, to theatre and musicals, my design practice found its roots on the stage. The ephemerality of these performances was what captivated me the most. They were nothing but fleeting moments in the lives of the spectators, making it crucial for both the performance and its setting, to visually strike the viewer in order to produce a powerful and lasting emotional reaction. From then on, I developed a strong interest in artists and designers that consider time as a crucial element, and came across ‘Ephemeral Art’. This Christo & Jeanne-Claude - Life Work
artistic mouvement emerged in the 1960’s, when artists such as the German Joseph Beuys, created works of art that had no financial worth and that existed beyond the walls of museums and gallery spaces (Tate, 2016). To make a statement, the Timeline: Adapted from Christo & Jeanne-Claude’s website (Christo, 2016) work of art is displayed only once, for a certain duration of time, and then destroyed or disassembled, ceasing to physically exist (Nelson, 2015). Still prominent as an art form nowadays, ‘Ephemeral Art’ can take on various shapes, forms and sizes from happenings, to performances and sculptures. I was first introduced to Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work in my late high school years. Their artistic approach regarding temporality and environmentality is what caught my eye then and still fascinates me. As a result I will introduce who they are as artists as well as the meaning behind their work that I will “Running Fence” ‘Sostware period’ further contextualise with the , their most lyrical work that ‘Hardware period’ bridges the visual arts with the music world.
Key:
Famous for their nomadic installations that carry environmental messages, Christo Vladimirov Javacheff alias Christo and his late wife and partner Jeanne-Claude Marie Denat known as Jeanne-Claude are an artist couple born in 1935, on the same day. From Gabrovo in Bulgaria, Christo was bought up in an industrialist setting. His father was the owner of a textile factory, an early influence reflected in Christo’s work today. After studying at the National Academy of Art in Sofia, Bulgaria, Christo spent a semester at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria (Christo, 2016). Throughout his studies, he was greatly influenced by the works of Man Ray, specifically by his 1920 “L’Énigme d’Isidore Ducasse”. This work of art consisted of a sewing machine wrapped in a sheet of fabric and tied in rope. Christo’s interest in this project lay in the subtlety of the appearance of the principal volume of the wrapped element, leaving nothing to witness other than its essence (Turner, 2009; Mundy, 2003). From then on, he began himself ‘parcelling’ various types of objects that he signed with his first name. However, throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s,
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Christo had to paint portraits on the side, to financially support the “non- sales” of his art, that he signed with his last name: Javacheff (Christo, 2016). In March of 1958, Christo moved to Paris, France, to pursue his career. In October of that same year, he and Jeanne-Claude met when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of Jeanne-Claude’s mother. They promptly fell in love and as soon as 1961, began what would be a lifelong artistic collaboration. Christo and Jeanne-Claude define themselves as Environmental artists. This movement first appeared in the late 1960’s and refers to “art that addresses social and political issues relating to natural and urban environments” (Tate, 2016).
«Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, Christo’s works of art consisted of wrapping everyday small objects, such as empty paint cans, bottles, shoes, telephones and chairs. Once wrapped the objects Part 3: California, 1972-76, Cotati Quadrangle, CA, Topographic Map with proposed Running Fence» Figure 2: would take on a new identity revealing some of the most basic features and proportions of the object while concealing the actual item itself, forcing the viewer to visualise the object in a renewed way. The fabric works as an “agent of transformation and revelation” (Blank, 1998). As his work evolved and with Jeanne-Claude’s influence, Christo expanded his work into larger scaled ideas and projects. They began wrapping, draping, surrounding, curtaining, or veiling buildings, structures, and landscapes in urban and rural settings (Blank, 1998). The artistic duos’ intentions was to alter an existing environment and re-contextualise it through, what Christo himself refers to as
“gentle disturbances [...] into the normality of cities and landscapes” (Lord, 2011). - Christo
«Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, These temporary alterations lead people to become more aware of themselves and Part 2: California, 1972-76, Two Rock Quadrangle, CA, Topographic map with proposed Running Fence» Figure 2: their surroundings in the present time. One of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s major pieces, dubbed the “Running Fence”, reflects those exact intentions.
The “Running Fence” was Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s most lyrical project. From 1972 to 1976, they “conceived, planned, and created” a fence, that stretched across both the Sonoma and Marin Counties in California, USA. This temporary installation, made up of a heavy-woven white nylon, was 6.4 meters high and ran for 39.4 kilometers [See Figure 2] across the lands and pastures of fifty-nine ranchers of which Christo and Jeanne-Claude had to be leased a right-of-way. Through this lengthy process, they forged a connection with the local inhabitants while also managing to create a link between the neighbours themselves. At its «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin most eastern point, the fence could be found in the suburban area of Petaluma. Part 1: Counties, California, 1972-76, Valley Ford Quadrangle, CA, Topographic map with proposed Running Fence» Figure 2: As it made its way to the West, it crossed the highway Route 101 to head across
- 4 - rural areas towards the coast before diving into the waters of the Bodega Bay [See Figure 3]. “Running Fence” consisted of 42 months of collaborative efforts before reaching completion in September of 1976. It was then exhibited for fourteen days before being dismantled and the site returned to its former state. Considerable activity went into the completion of this piece; efforts that Christo and Jeanne-Claude consider to be as much a part of the final oeuvre as the installation itself. The completed fence was only one part of a greater project, each step along the way referred to as being part of the project. As such, the “Running Fence” started with the commencement of the project idea and concluded with the de- installation of the piece (O’Hara, 2010). The artists believe their projects to be comprised of two phases: the ‘software Figure 3: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Segments 8 and 7: Valley Ford, from helicopter» period’ followed by the ‘hardware period’. The former consisted of the period during which the concept existed solely in the artists and their collaborators minds and on Christo’s drawings and sketches, done prior to the completion of the project (Christo and Jeanne-Claude, 2004) [See Figure 4]. They brought forth the research involving the location of the site and its users as well as technical aspects in the project that slowly evolved towards the final engineering and construction permits (Christo, 2016). Within this initial process, came numerous arduous “board hearings, public forums, parliamentary debates, public and private meetings, legal releases and contract negotiations” that formed part of the creative process [See Figure 5] (See Appendix A). Through this lengthy and cumbersome process, Christo and Jeanne-Claude began creating a conversation between the land, the people and the artwork even before the art physically existed.
Figure 4: «Running Fence (Project for Sonoma and Marin Counties, California)» Subsequently came the ‘hardware period’, the moment when the project could be experienced in its physicality through its size, texture and response to its surroundings (Architectural League of New York, 2010). Christo and his wife argue that the two periods “work together, they can not be separate” as the ‘all- togetherness’ is what brings the project to be complete, therefore earning it its title as a work of art (Architectural League of New York, 2010; Smithsonian Magazine, 2010; O’Hara, 2010). All drawings, sketches, legal documents and photographs produced were thoroughly documented and archived to transcribe the making of the project to future generations and art historians (Blank, 1998) (See Appendix B). Before the installation took place, Jeanne-Claude sold the preparatory works to art collectors, galleries and museums. This process is crucial to the artistic and aesthetic freedom they seek in their work allowing them to self-finance the entirety of their project without compromising their design (Christo, 2010). Figure 5: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Speaker, rancher Ed Pozzi at special hearing of Sonoma County Board of Supervisors» Below, I will further detail the installation itself.
- 5 - Standing at 6.4 meters in height, the fence was comprised of 2,050 steel poles, set some 18 meters apart. Suspended between each pole were ten vertical panels of white nylon fabric sewn together and fastened by metallic hooks onto steel cables (O’Doherty, 2010). The fence progressed through a variety of landscapes, plunging into the water of the Bodega Bay, making it seem as if it were infinite. It showed no intention of dividing or separating. Unlike other fences, this ribbon of light was designed and built with the aim to visually unite the diversity of lifestyles and cultures from the urban, rural and coastal lands in Northern California (O’Doherty, 2010). Through its astounding length, the fence portrayed the horizontal lifestyle lead by the inhabitants of the West coast contrary to the vertical one found on the East coast (Christo, 2010). Figure 6: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Segment 23» While being structurally strong as well as monumental in its size, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s fence remained a delicate and fragile work of art through its overall visual effect. This contributed to its nomadic quality as a work of art, portraying its free and transitional state (Architectural League of New York, 2010). The fence’s core, comprised of the white nylon sheets, was designed to capture and reflect the light therefore changing colour throughout the day (O’Doherty, 2010) [See Figure 6]. As art historian Werner Spies described it, the fence was “a startling piece of calligraphy... a dreamy arabesque” (O’Hara, 2010) [See Figure 7]. As it swerved and rolled across the hills and valleys of Northern California, the fence suddenly energised the land by unveiling its hidden typography (Smithsonian Magazine, 2010). The choice of material and colour of the fabric also added to the feeling of fragility present in the fence. Its vulnerability to the natural elements of water and wind brought the Figure 7: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76» installation to life, as it puffed and swayed to the different currents [See Figure 8]. The wind became a visible and tangible element (Christo and Jeanne- Claude, 2004). The fence acquired all that was inherent to the land, making it dynamic, sensual and palpable all at once. In the words of Christo,
“no sketch of mine [could] match the real thing [...] these projects are like living objects, they are total motion all the time” (Architectural League of New York, 2010). - Christo
As an ephemeral and environmental artwork, the fence was dismantled. All the elements and materials used were recycled. The steel poles, previously sourced from the U.S. Army’s surplus as well as the fabric and cables were repurposed by the landowners who made use of them for a variety of functions such as building
Figure 8: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Segment 1: barns, fences and cattle guards (Christo, 2010). The Fence disappears into the Pacific»Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76» The fence no longer exists, but its memory persists.
- 6 - In conclusion, what fascinates me in scenography, is the paradox between the ephemeral aspect of the work, that remains only for the duration of the performance, and the lasting impact it has in the publics mind. In the general understanding, scenography, also known as set design, is the design of the physical space in which the action of a play will take place (American Association of Community Theatre, 2017). The designers aim is to create the plays setting so as to immerse the viewer in the scene. The “Running Fence” mesmerized me as it transcends generations, continuing to draw attention to the public at large, despite having been disbanded over forty years ago. Christo and his wife led the preparatory works in such a way that everybody and everything that related directly or indirectly to the project became an integral part of it. As Christo mentioned:
“the work is not only the fabric, the steel poles, and the fence. [It] is right now, here. Everybody here is a part of my work [whether] they want it or not” (O’Hara, 2010). - Christo
Figure 9: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Segment 8» On the long term, they would unconsciously work as witnesses forging the tale of the fence. Christo and Jeanne-Claude strongly believe that their art must be witnessed in its built three dimensional form. However, only few people get to indulge in their beauty [See Figure 9]. The fence was a unique event, specific to its time and place, creating an urge and desire to be present, therefore, giving the project its own energy. The “Running Fence” was a temporary monument with a great impact on the public. Its scale as well as the amount of time, effort and money invested in it, made it a masterpiece comparable to other major monuments. However, contrary to other masterpieces of similar grandeur, it did not physically remain through time but rather has stayed in the minds eye. Once dismantled, the site was restored to its original state concluding the project in the artists minds. However, the formerly intact condition of the Figure 10: «Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Panoramic view of hills near ocean in Marin County» site has been forever altered by the artwork and the ever present resonance it leaves behind [See Figure 10]. The piece remains in the memory of those who experienced it and are able to tell its tale. Therefore, the artwork lives on through new means: the memory of those who saw it, the preserved archives as well as the reevaluation and reconsideration that perseveres long after the completion of the project (Blank, 1998).
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Appendix A: «Running Fence»
Extracts of a documentary on the making of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s «Running Fence» - Sonoma and Marin Counties, California 1972- 1976.
Appendix B: Online Archives
Online Archives of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s «Running Fence» - Sonoma and Marin Counties, California 1972- 1976. Acquired by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Including photographs, sketches, legal documents & the Environmental Impact Report.
- 8 - BIBLIOGRAPHY Elsen, A. (1998) The Freedom to be Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Available at: https://prelectur.stanford.edu/lecturers/christo/elsen.html (Accessed: 04 Ja- nuary 2017).
American Association of Community Theatre (2017) Set designer: The Set Desi- Lord, C. (2011) Christo: ‘I will not do any piece of art that has a purpose’. gner’s Job. Available at: https://www.aact.org/set-designer (Accessed: 04 Ja- Available at: http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/art/christo-i-will-not- nuary 2017). do-any-piece-of-art-that-has-a-purpose (Accessed: 04 January 2017).
Architectural League of New York (2010) Christo. Available at: https://vimeo. Mundy, J. (2003) Man Ray L’Enigme d’Isidore Ducasse 1920, remade 1972. Avai- com/22307573 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). lable at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/man-ray-lenigme-disidore-du- casse-t07957 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Architectural League of New York (2010) Christo - Q+A. Available at: https:// vimeo.com/22341159 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Nelson, H. (2015) Running fence video. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=GXejux808fw (Accessed: 04 January 2017). billross22 (2008) Running fence. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=S1ta0NaacfY (Accessed: 04 January 2017). O’Doherty, B. (2010) Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering the running fence. Edited by Mary J. Cleary. Washington, DC: Smithsonian American Art Museum. Blank, P. (1998) Christo & Jeanne-Claude. Available at: https://prelectur. stanford.edu/lecturers/christo/ (Accessed: 04 January 2017). O’Hara, C. (2010) ‘The journey to running fence’, University of California Press Blog, 9 July. Available at: http://www.ucpress.edu/blog/9847/the-jour- Christo and Jeanne-Claude (2004) ‘A Matter of Passion: A Conversation with ney-to-running-fence/ (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Christo and Jeanne-Claude’. Interview with Jan Garden Castro for International Sculpture Center, . Smithsonian American Art Museum (2010) Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Remembering the ‘Running Fence’. Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/ar- Christo (2010) ‘Christo and Jeanne-Claude: On the Making of the Running Fence’. chive/2010/christo/ (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Interview with Eye Level for Smithsonian American Art Museum, 10 April, . Online Archives
Christo (2016) Life and work. Available at: http://christojeanneclaude.net/ Smithsonian Magazine (2010) Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s running fence. Avai- life-and-work (Accessed: 04 January 2017). lable at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBVpgN4JAsE (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Christo (2016) Most common errors. Available at: http://christojeanneclaude. net/common-errors (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Tate (2016) Environmental art. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/on- line-resources/glossary/e/environmental-art (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Christo (2016) Projects | running fence. Available at: http://christojeanne- claude.net/projects/running-fence (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Tate (2016) Ephemeral art. Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/on- line-resources/glossary/e/ephemeral-art (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Christo (2016) Timeline. Available at: http://christojeanneclaude.net/timeline (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Turner, C. (2009) Jeanne-Claude obituary. Available at: https://www.theguar- dian.com/artanddesign/2009/nov/20/jeanne-claude-christo-obituary (Accessed: 04 January 2017).
- 9 - IMAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY Figure 5: Volz, W. (1975) Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Speaker, rancher Ed Pozzi at special hearing of Sonoma County Board
of Supervisors [Black and White Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.
Figure 1: Volz, W. (1976) Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77730 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). 1972-76 [Colour Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/ Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum collections/search/artwork/?id=77660 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum Figure 6: Volz, W. (1976) 1972-76, Segment 23 [Colour Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.
Figure 2 (part 1): United States Geological Survey (1971) Running Fence, Sonoma si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77608 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Valley Ford Quadrangle, CA, Topographic Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum map with proposed Running Fence [Ink and felt tip pen on color printed paper]. Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77913 Figure 7: Lauritzen, B. (1976) California, 1972-76 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). [Colour Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart. Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77646 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum
Figure 2(part 2): United States Geological Survey (1971) Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Two Rock Quadrangle, CA, Topographic Figure 8: Volz, W. (1976) Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Segment 1: The Fence disappears into the Pacific map with proposed Running Fence [Ink and felt tip pen on color printed paper]. [Black and White Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77914 Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/ (Accessed: 04 January 2017). artwork/?id=77772 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum
Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, Figure 2 (part 3): United States Geological Survey (1973) Running Fence, Sonoma Figure 9: Volz, W. (1976) and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, Cotati Quadrangle, CA, Topographic 1972-76, Segment 8 [Black and White Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.
Map with proposed Running Fence [Ink and felt tip pen on color printed paper]. si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77889 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=77915 Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum Figure 10: Volz, W. (1976) 1972-76, Panoramic view of hills near ocean in Marin County [Black and White
Figure 3: Volz, W. (1976) Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/ 1972-76, Segments 8 and 7: Valley Ford, from helicopter [Black and White artwork/?id=77755 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Photograph]. Available at: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/ Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum artwork/?id=77581 (Accessed: 04 January 2017). Owned by Smithsonian American Art Museum
Figure 4: Christo (1975) Running Fence (Project for Sonoma and Marin Counties, California) [Collage pencil, enamel paint, charcoal, wax crayon and ballpoint pen]. .
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