The Surrounded Islands Of Christo And Jeanne-Claude
- Words
- Anna Dorothea Ker
In May 1983, the revered environmental artist duo, Christo and Jeanne-Claude surrounded eleven islands in Biscayne Bay, Miami, with 6.5 million square feet of floating pink woven polypropylene.
installation, which lasted for two weeks, involved the pink fabric being sewn into 79 patterns so as to reflect the shapes of each island, extending 200 feet outwards from each. The work, which was planned and prepared over the course of three years, required a crew of 430 to install. “‘Surrounded Islands’ was a work of art underlining the various elements and ways in which the people of Miami live, between land and water,” notes a statement on the artists’ website. Christo and the late Jeanne-Claude are best known for their large-scale installations which involve the wrapping of iconic structures such as The Reichstag and Pont Neuf.
TheAll images © Wolfgang Volz / courtesy of Christo and Jeanne-Claude