A site specific work of art by the Bulgarian born American artist Christo consisting of 100,000 square meters of yellow fabric, installed on a lake in Italy.
Over 1,200,000 people visited Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Floating Piers during its 16 days from June 18 through July 3, 2016. The temporary work of art featured fabric-covered piers 3 kilometers in length, constructed across the water of Italy’s Lake Iseo, and continued along 2.5 kilometers of pedestrian streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio.
“Each project is a slice of our lives and something that I will never forget,” said Christo. “Jeanne- Claude and I first conceived The Floating Piers in 1970. I later found Lake Iseo to be the most inspiring location to realize this project. The Lake’s water, the landscape, and the communities around it have all been part of The Floating Piers. An important part of this project is the temporary part, it has a nomadic quality—this is why after 16 days it is gone.”
The Floating Piers was free and accessible to the public, no tickets or reservations were required. Local authorities requested The Floating Piers close at night to accommodate the community of Monte Isola’s sanitation needs. On average over 72,000 people a day from around the world experienced The Floating Piers and explored the hosting communities around Lake Iseo, which offered food and drinks, and places for hikes where visitors could take in different vantage points of the piers.
“The Lake Iseo area hosted over a million visitors, offering an unforgettable artistic experience and allowing people to learn about a hidden corner of Italy,” said Paola Pezzotti, Mayor of Sulzano. “We have been at the center of a contemporary artistic experience and the international tourist circuit. The attendance of visitors and all the investments brought by The Floating Piers benefits our local economy and will enable even broader social and tourist development in years to come.”
Christo financed the entire cost of The Floating Piers, approximately 18,000,000 Euros, including the assembly, installation, maintenance, security, and removal of the work of art. The artist does not accept sponsorship. The total includes planned support for local government agencies and host communities in the Lombardy Region, totaling 1,500,000 Euros. This funding covered services such as police, ambulances and fire personnel and for installation of telecommunications in the nearby tunnels. It also included concession fees for use of Lake Iseo and the communities of Sulzano and Monte Isola. Additionally during the project, Christo paid for extra garbage removal, portable toilets, and other sanitation assistance for the surrounding area.
Over 1,000 people were employed by The Floating Piers. All project workers are paid, there are no volunteers, including manufacturers, engineers, building contractors, divers, pier monitors, lifeguards, boat captains, and security personnel.
“We had people from all over the world come to work with us just because they wanted to be a part of this work of art,” said Izabella Tzenkova. “Many stayed longer than expected and found it hard to say goodbye.”
