The Umbrellas, Japan - USA
The Umbrellas
Christo and Jeanne-Claude , 1980–1983
Link to images and graphics of the work of art
(please note copyrights )
The Umbrellas, Japan - USA ( English original title) was an art project by the artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude , which was realized in 1991 in the prefecture of Ibaraki , Japan , and in Kern County in California . It consisted of several thousand yellow and blue umbrellas set up in the open landscape. The total cost of completing the project was $ 26 million.
Planning, preparation and implementation
The planning for the implementation of the project began in 1984. Christo and Jeanne-Claude prepared the project in the form of drawings, drafts and photographs and had to obtain numerous official permits for the implementation. In Japan approval had to be obtained from 17 different government and local authorities, in the USA the figure was as high as 27; in addition there were 459 rice farmers and other landowners whose permission was requested. A valley north of Hitachi-Ōta and south of Satomi along National Road 349 and the Sato River was chosen as the location in Japan . In California, a valley was chosen about 95 kilometers north of Los Angeles along Interstate 5 and the Tejon Pass .
A total of 1340 blue umbrellas were installed in Japan and 1760 yellow umbrellas in the USA, each umbrella weighing around 200 kilograms being six meters high and 8.66 meters in diameter. 410,000 square meters of fabric, 7600 liters of paint and almost 25,000 umbrella clips and just as many aluminum struts were used . The parts were manufactured internationally, the assembly took place in Bakersfield , California in Kern County, from where some of the umbrellas were transported to Japan. As early as December 1990 to September 1991, the first workers at Muto Construction Co. Ltd. in Japan and the company AL Huber & Son in California to install the anchors in the floor and the steel base on which the screens were mounted. From September 19 to October 7, 1991, the umbrellas were brought to the locations and screwed to the bases, but not yet stretched.
The project was implemented from October 9th to 27th, 1991. The 1880 workers began to open the 3100 umbrellas in the presence of the artists at sunrise on October 9th.
Premature dismantling
On October 26, 1991, one of the umbrellas in California was ripped off by the wind, fatally injuring a woman. Christo then had all the umbrellas closed. The couple traveled from Japan to dismantle the project there. Mining began on October 27, 1991, with the sites being returned to their original state. In Japan, a worker died when he touched a high-voltage power line with a crane.
Reception and interpretation
Christo and Jeanne-Claude described the meaning of the work of art:
“This temporary work of art, which was held in Japan and the USA at the same time, reflected the similarities and differences in lifestyle and land use on both sides of the Pacific through two inland valleys, the Japanese 19 kilometers long and the American 29 kilometers was. "
Jacob Baal-Teshuva described The Umbrellas, Japan – USA as "the most ambitious and costly project in the Christos' artistic career."
literature
- Jacob Baal-Teshuva: Christo & Jeanne Claude. Benedikt Taschen Verlag, Cologne 1995, ISBN 3-8228-8795-1 .
Web links
- The Umbrellas on the homepage of Christo and Jeanne-Claude
supporting documents
- ↑ a b c d e f Jacob Baal-Teshuva: Christo & Jeanne Claude. Benedikt Taschen Verlag, Cologne 1995, ISBN 3-8228-8795-1 , p. 68 ff.
- ↑ a b The Umbrellas on the homepage of Christo and Jeanne-Claude
- ↑ Christo Umbrella Crushes Woman . In: The New York Times , October 28, 1991. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ↑ 'Umbrellas' Closing Leaves Christo With Empty Palette . In: The New York Times , November 12, 1991. Retrieved June 22, 2013.