A Walk on the Wild Side - Artist Christo & Jean Claude Floating Piers in Italy

A Walk on the Floating Piers by Cristo on Lake Iseo protected by Hotel Principe Di Savoia Umbrella as they take care of all their guests to a "T"

As a home accessories design company thats specializes in Barware, Lighting and Tableware with an online store that primarily manufactures our home accessories line and lighting design line in Italy we are there a few times a year

For sixteen days –Back in  June 18 through July 3, 2016 – Italy’s Lake Iseo was reimagined. 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes, undulated with the movement of the waves as The Floating Piers rose just above the surface of the water.

This time the timing worked out perfect Alessandra Baldeschi then head of PR for The Principe and Francesca De Sario the now communications manager of the famed Hotel Principe Di Savoia our home away from home insisted we borrow Alessandra's grandmothers car and take a day trip out to the pier! AND SO WE DID!

We were able to experience the work of art by walking on it from Sulzano to Monte Isola and to the island of San Paolo, which was framed by The Floating Piers. The mountains surrounding the lake offered a bird’s-eye view of The Floating Piers, exposing unnoticed angles and altering perspectives. Lake Iseo is located 100 kilometers east of Milan and 200 kilometers west of Venice.

“Like all our projects, The Floating Piers was absolutely free and open to the public,” said Christo. “There were no tickets, no openings, no reservations and no owners. The Floating Piers were an extension of the street and belonged to everyone” - Christo

A 3-kilometer-long walkway was created as The Floating Piers extended across the water of Lake Iseo. The piers were 16 meters wide and approximately 35 centimeters high with sloping sides. The fabric continued along 2.5 kilometers of pedestrian streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio.

“Those who experienced The Floating Piers felt like they were walking on water – or perhaps the back of a whale,” said Christo. “The light and water transformed the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the sixteen days.”

In the spring and summer of 2014, Christo, Vladimir Yavachev – Operations Director, Wolfgang Volz –  Project Manager and Official Photographer, and Josy Kraft – Registrar/Curator, scouted the lakes of Northern Italy. Along with Project Director Germano Celant, they found Lake Iseo to be the most inspiring location. Since that time they worked alongside team members from around the world to realize The Floating Piers.

The Floating Piers was first conceived by Christo and Jeanne-Claude in 1970. It was Christo’s first large-scale project since Christo and Jeanne-Claude realized The Gates in 2005, and since Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009. As with all of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects, The Floating Piers was funded entirely through the sale of Christo’s original works of art. After the 16-day exhibition, all components were removed and industrially recycled.

Thomas and I look forward to the next one.....The wrapping of the Arch Du Triomphe. Click the Below Photo to take you to the next journey. 

Have a great week, 

Michou