“It’s a waste of money, but it’s fabulous.”
Shakana Jayson, New York area student, commenting on Christo and Jeanne-Claude “The Gates Project.”
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“Christo and Jeanne-Claude regard this all their artworks as babies, created jointly in love, that come into the world with their own strengths and frailties, living things that are cherished.”
“Their short life-spans creates a preciousness and an urgency, encouraging us to bear witness and drink in the art as much as we can, while we can, all the while knowing it may well be gone the next time we visit the site — in this case Central Park.”
“Our memories of this experience are how the artwork changes us — perhaps the most powerful force of art, that the changes made are not in the site, but in us.”
The first time I smoked a joint, it made a change in me too…
They spent $34 million of their own money to do this. I can’t wait to hear them crying that rich people waste their money on luxury items instead of paying their money in taxes so the government can give it to poor folks.
I remmeber when Christo put tons of big ugly yellow umbrellas in the Fort Tejon area in California. I was just a kid, but I remember going….wtf?
It’s a waste of money, but it’s fabulous.
I agree with the first part. At least taxpayers are picking up the tab on this one.
Hey, that’s what politicians say all the time:
US Congressperson in response to $250 toilet seat:
“It’s a waste of money, but it’s fabulous.”
Christo, what an inspiration. Tomorrow, I am taking my Elvis’s on velvet and drape them on my chain link fence in front of my house. For an extra added attraction, at absolutely no extra charge, I could piss in an empty mayonaise jar and put Christo’s picture in it. If this does not make me an artsy-fartsy sophisticated guy, I don’t know what will.
Well, now, $34 million? I don’t care if it’s their money, why didn’t they donate it to the Tsunami relief effort instead of draping Central Park in crepe paper? Horrible people…
Tis their money to waste, fellow citizens. And at least we know where this money went, into the pockets of thousands of yellow sheet makers.
Freedom of expression, especially if it’s not offensive and the expresser pays for it. On the other hand, this is something Rudy could easily handle, therefore it ain’t art.
It isn’t a complete waste if the recycle the sheets when they take it down. There are some Hare Krishna types out there that could probably find some use for them. Either that or bleach them out and send them to France for civil defense purposes.
May sound funny coming from a guy who’s generally somewhere to the right of Genghis Khan, but —
Lighten up. It’s fun, harms nobody, and provides temporary work for people building the thing. Art? Who knows? At least it isn’t like most modern art, in which the “artist” learned that Art should Shock the Sensibilities but never learned any technique whatever.
OneDrummer, why are you eating? That money could be used much better…
I used to have an aerial photo of a segment of Running Fence; it got water-damaged and I threw it out — which I later decided was part of the point.
I like Christo. He has a good time, is sometimes entertaining, and hurts nobody. Not many people deserve that on their headstone.
Regards,
Ric
I obviously didn’t hit the sarcasm button hard enough before my last post, Ric. Feigned outrage.
Was just my way of pointing out the hypocrisy of the moonbat-set with regards to inauguration budget, our own finances/money as viewed by Hillary (we know better than you how to spend it) Clinton, etc, etc… nothing more. Just echoing Steve L’s comment…
A friend of mine e-mailed me a pic of these things, seen through trees so you couldn’t tell for sure what they are unless you already knew.
He asked if they didn’t look to me, as they did to him, like county jail inmates picking up roadside trash.
How come the Democrats aren’t asking how much it costs and why didn’t we buy armor for the troops instead?
Christo should call his work “space art”. The only people that get a true idea of it’s vision are astronauts.
I prefer the philosophy of scultor Frederick Hart who died in 1999. “My work isn’t art for art’s sake, it’s about life. I have no patience with obscure or unintelligible art – I want to be understood.”
“It’s a waste of money, but it’s fabulous.”
The same could be said of New York itself. No wonder this “artwork” is a hit there.
“the same could be said of new york itself”. didnt do too well in economics class did you R.
It’s colorful and makes no noise. In Manhattan, particularly, that qualifies as “fabulous.” It certainly qualifies as strange and unusual in Manhattan. That it is financially wasteful only adds to the allure.
Like San Francisco and much of “Hollywood,” there are urban areas in our United States that are just far too bubble-protected.
All it says to me is that they can and do because they can and do: flaunt irreverance as a financial approach and ridicule Northern Ireland.
Oh, now I think I get it here: Christo and Jean-Claude are RIDICULING NEW YOUR AS BEING A CAPTIVE STATE. The orange prison outfit color on parade, expensive, useless, wasteful…it’s the latest Christo and Jean-Claude insult statement about AMURCA!
No wonder Manhattan has gone all oogey over it.
Seriously (^^). Note the title, “The Gates.”
I guarantee some of those going gaga over this $34 million orange toilet paper project were the same people complaining about the cost of Bush’s ignauration. Don’t you just love hypocrisy. What a waste, and to think didn’t they wait like 25 years to do this? All for a temporary 16 day display of what exaxtly!?!
Oh calm down. Look at this as their entertainment. Instead of wasting their money on movies or hot-air balloon rides, they paint some sheets and call it art. Who should care? The fact that others admire it or scorn it is all the more amusing to me.
The color !! It looks like a giant construction project. Thankfully, we taxpayers did not (supposedly) have to foot the bill. But look, the NY Times says it’s great art. It will serve one purpose: to enhance Olmsted’s true artistry in his design of Central Park when it is taken down.
Is it just me, or does anyone else think about driving through a car wash, when they look at this thing?
I’m a fine arts major (hey, don’t laugh). It’s this kind of crap that, as a student, pisses me off. Not the artwork, or the artist, but the way the art world is stuck like a broken record.
“Ooh! look at us! We’re the avant-garde, we’re DIFFERENT!!” That’s nice, but they’ve all been busy being “different” in the exact same way for the last 50 years.
Our profs have been nagging us to go see this, like it’s some sort of landmark in the history of art….
But c’mon people, it’s fabric on freakin’ poles. I understand that everyone has different aesthetic tatses, and I’ll give him credit as a fellow artist for doing whatever it is that satisfies his creative urges. If you look at this thing and like it, fine. Good for you. In fact, I think it looks sorta neat myself.
I am, however, really getting tired of all the stuck up post-moderns who look at you like you’re a barbarian if you profess a liking for anything besides their wrapped bridges, 3-legged planar women, and color field paintings.
What Tim in PA wrote (^^).
$34 million for 7500 sheets on poles. That’s $4500 each. Hard to believe it’s not taxpayer funded – most people wouldn’t spend their own money that carelessly.