The Quadrangle

Issue date: 2/23/05 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Artists Cristo and Jeanne-Claude unveiled their masterpiece of over 7,000 fabric panels throughout Central Park last week. The display, over 25 years in the making, brought thousands into the park to see the orange-saffron blanketed walkways.

Last week marked the opening week of the much-awaited Central Park Gates. The living exhibit turns the walkways of Manhattan's Central Park into a meandering river of saffron and steel, bringing the park, and the city, its first art project of its kind.

The brainchild of tagteam artist couple Christo and Jean-Claude, The Gates took 26 years to come to the park, and has been subject to much anticipation by both New York City residents, and the international art community. Based on the simple construction of the yellow-orange metal gates holding pieces of fabric, the exhibit invites park goers to walk through flowing saffron robes while their visit in the park. The Gates vary in size, their width matching that of the paths they follow. As a free event, Christo and Jean-Claude used The Gates as a free art exhibit for all to see. Through the exhibit, those who would not consider going to the Guggenheim or the Museum of Modern Art are now able to see an exhibit while they walk their dog.

Models, sketches, and framework for the event began in 1979. The idea was originally rejected by City Hall, citing the amount of money it would cost the city to host the event in the park. After countless resubmissions over the years, current Mayor Michael Bloomberg finally accepted the design. Bloomberg, a former member of the Central Park Conservatory before becoming Mayor, was one of the duo's only supporters within the bureaucracy of the New York City Parks Department. Ending the string of Mayoral terms endured by artists, Bloomberg opened many of the city's public spots to outdoor art exhibits, paving the way for the design of Christo and Jean-Claude's he enjoyed in years prior. Once the artists promised that no part of Central Park would be damaged by the event, and once the couple raised the necessary 2 million dollars for the project, Bloomberg gave the project the green light, and construction crews began working in the park.

As word spread on the magnitude and ingenuity of the project, the number of people signing up to assist the artists expanded by great lengths. People began noticing the foundations for the gates scattered throughout the park, attracting many to sign up during their free time - excited by the prospect of having a hand in what many consider New York City's greatest art project. Teams led and staffed by ordinary New Yorkers worked in sections of the park on individual teams, and surprisingly enough, reports say that conflict within the groups was incredibly rare. Women gave orders to men, and artists took direction from non-artists as everyone came together for a greater cause.

With flowing robes, The Gates flood Central Park with color not witnessed during midwinter weeks. Usually a rather drab place, this work of art has transformed the park into an art gallery, a meeting place, and an experience in the month where it is usually reserved to leisurely walks on warmer days, and jogging paths for nearby runners. Though the leaves of Central Park's trees fell months ago, the wind still carries through leafs of another sort within the park, as The Gates show the slightest breezes, and the heaviest gusts with their elegant swatches of saffron fabric. Though artificial, The Gates provide all who view them with memories of autumn, and colors that welcome the coming spring. One may be walking through the park and see their breath in front of them, but the bright orange that surrounds melts the feelings of winter felt harshly by every New Yorker.

While The Gates as a beautiful sight in their own right, the true beauty of the project comes from the effect it seems to have on everyone involved. The orange gates that flow through the park add a tangible element of the architecture that defines Manhattan, while allowing the park to retain its ability to offer sojourn to those escaping from the grid of buildings.

From 59th to 110th street, The Gates provides egalitarian beauty to all New Yorkers, as Christo and Jean-Claude assert that no area of the exhibit is more attractive or better designed than the rest. As many believe modern art to be more of a medium with which people can evaluate their own perceptions, The Gates allow the entire City to examine their own opinions on both modern art, and their home. Through structural simplicity, and overall elegance, The Gates brings something to New York City that has never been experienced before.

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