Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Floating Piers

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Floating Piers installation has taken residence on the picturesque Lake Iseo in Northern Italy

(Image credit: Wolfgang Volz)

By Sujata Burman

last updated 22 August 2022

in Features

Northern Italy’s Lake Iseo just got even more idyllic. Amid the picturesque nature, artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have laid down a new installation to take the meditative scene to the next level, facilitating some literal walking on water.

The Floating Piers is an immense three-kilometre walkway comprised of a whopping 100,000 sq m of yellow fabric. Keeping in tune with the lake’s flowing waterways, they have scattered the sunshine textile over 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes to allow people to kiss the surface of the water with their steps on the route, which stretches from Sulzano to Monte Isola, and on to the island of San Paolo.

The pair are known for wrapping materials around many of Italy’s iconic locations, including the Medieval Tower in Spoleto in 1968. This more interactive project was originally conceived back in 1970, and it has been totally funded through Christo’s sales of original works.

The dynamic install has taken months to prepare via water and air with commercial divers from France anchoring the piece from depths of up to 90m below the surface, and the felts transported by helicopters from above.

The Floating Piers' immersive qualities transcend the interactive. While visitors are able to appreciate the serene ‘walking on water’ experience, the visual is just as powerful. Up in the mountains above, people can observe the scorching mustard-hued snake running through the azure waters, creating graphic lines and cutting the colours of the landscape: ‘The light and water will transform the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the 16 days,’ Christo explains.

The artwork is an immense 3km walkway comprised of a whopping 100,000 sq m of yellow fabric

The pier stretches from Sulzano to Monte Isola, and on to the island of San Paolo

Keeping in tune with the lake’s flowing waterways, they have scattered the sunshine textile over 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes to allow people to kiss the surface of the water with their steps

lake with waterway — The dynamic install has taken months to prepare via water and air

Commercial divers from France anchored the piece from depths of up to 90m below the surface

The project was originally conceived back in 1970, and it is totally funded through Christo’s sales of original works

Up in the mountains above, people can observe the scorching mustard-hued snake running through the azure waters

‘The light and water will transform the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the 16 days,’ Christo explains

INFORMATION

The Floating Piers is on view until 3 July. For more information, visit Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s website

Photography: Wolfgang Volz. Copyright Christo

TOPICS

Sujata Burman is a writer and editor based in London, specialising in design and culture. She was Digital Design Editor at Wallpaper* before moving to her current role of Head of Content at London Design Festival and London Design Biennale where she is expanding the content offering of the showcases. Over the past decade, Sujata has written for global design and culture publications, and has been a speaker, moderator and judge for institutions and brands including RIBA, D&AD, Design Museum and Design Miami/. In 2019, she co-authored her first book, An Opinionated Guide to London Architecture, published by Hoxton Mini Press, which was driven by her aim to make the fields of design and architecture accessible to wider audiences.

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