Surrounded Islands
Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, 1980–83 was a 1983 environmental artwork in which artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude surrounded an island archipelago in Miami with pink fabric.
Planning
In 1980, while the couple dealt with bureaucratic gridlock on other projects, a Miami community art festival invited Christo and Jeanne-Claude to participate. While they declined on account of the Miami summer heat, they continued to explore the idea for a project in the city.[1] Jeanne-Claude conceived the concept,[2] which would surround 11 spoil islands with floating pink fabric in Miami's Biscayne Bay. They reviewed the engineering and environmental impacts for three years, learning about the bay's protected wildlife, commissioning studies of local wildlife, scoping logistics for anchoring the fabric to the islands, and experimenting with floating fabrics. The work also involved lobbying work to acquire public support, governmental approval, and permits.[1] Their lawyers handled a federal lawsuit from a wildlife paramedic. The artists, as was their practice, restored environments to their original condition, but in Miami's case, they additionally cleaned 40 tons of waste during the project.[3]
The installation mounted for 11 days in May 1983. It was isolated, existing across 11 miles in the bay, and was mainly consumed through mass media, being best portrayed by aerial photography and over television. Surrounded Islands was the couple's most expensive work to date[1] and their largest work by size in their lifetimes.[4] The finished work played a strong role in developing the city's reputation as a place of culture.[3]
Notes
- ^ a b c Fineberg 2004, p. 40.
- ^ Turner, Christopher (November 20, 2009). "Jeanne-Claude, Christo's wife and collaborator, obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077.
- ^ a b Palumbo, Jacqui (June 1, 2020). "Christo, who made monumental art around the world, has died at 84". CNN. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- ^ Greenberger, Alex; Greenberger, Alex (April 3, 2020). "Enormous Wrappings by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Ranked by Size: From Covered Monuments to Mountainside Curtains". ARTnews.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
Bibliography
- Baal-Teshuva, Jacob (2001). Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8228-5996-4.
- Bennetts, Leslie (December 28, 1982). "Christo Will Wrap 11 Islands in Pink". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Chernow, Burt (2002). Christo and Jeanne-Claude: A Biography. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-28074-1.
- The Associated Press (March 20, 1983). "Compromise Proposed in Christo Island-Wrap". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Earnest, Jarrett (December 11, 2018). "Boating Out to Christo's Pink-Wrapped Islands With the Artist, 35 Years Later". Vulture. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
- Fineberg, Jonathan David (2004). "Surrounded Islands". Christo and Jeanne-Claude: On the Way to The Gates, Central Park, New York City. Yale University Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-300-10405-9.
- Glueck, Grace (May 6, 1983). "Christo Vision Unfolds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Nilson, Lisbet (January 1984). "'This Is My Water Lilies': Christo's Blossoms in the Bay". ARTnews. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- Sokol, Brett (October 26, 2018). "Pérez Art Museum Miami Recalls Pink Islands". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
- Valys, Phillip (September 28, 2018). "Christo on 'Surrounded Islands': 'The fear of failure was always there'". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
