In Town
Kay Kipling
The American artistic team of Bulgarian-born Christo and Frenchwoman Jeanne-Claude first burst onto the public consciousness back in the 1960s with large-scale environmental projects, and followed up in the 1970s with the Valley Curtain in Colorado and the Running Fence in California. Since then they've wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin, sent umbrellas fluttering in Japan and the U.S., wrapped the Pont-Neuf in Paris, and surrounded the 11 islands of Biscayne Bay in Florida. The duo arrives in Naples this month to present a slide show and lecture, and to answer questions on their two current works in progress (at Edison Community College Jan. 29) and open an exhibition of preparatory drawings, collages and scale models at Eckert Fine Art in Naples. Kay Kipling recently spoke with the pair about their longtime collaboration.

Q. Each project you do is unique, but overall, what do you wish to accomplish with your work?

Jeanne-Claude: What Christo and I wish to create each time is a work of art, of joy and beauty. We do not create messages or symbols. There is no purpose whatsoever except to make a work of art, which is what every artist does.

Christo: They are all very different projects. Of the two we are working on now, one [the Gates Project for Central Park in New York] is urban, and the other [Project for the Arkansas River, Colorado] is rural. We can see many different ideas within how people live and relate to each space.

Q. How do you maintain the patience these projects require, with years of planning, permitting and production involved?

Jeanne-Claude: It's not a matter of patience; it's a matter of passion.

Christo: With a painter or a sculptor, no one discusses the work before it is done. With our projects, everyone argues, as they do with a new building or bridge before it is built. It takes a long time because we have to deal with complex public matters. Our work has elements of painting, sculpture, architecture and urban planning. We have to engage with the public.

Q. How does your collaboration really work?

Christo: We do everything together.

Jeanne-Claude: Well, actually there are three things we don't do together. First, we never fly in the same airplane. Second, I don't make the drawings, collages or scale models. Everything that stays indoors is created by Christo and everything outdoors is created by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. And third, I have never let Christo lose his time talking with our tax accountants.

Q. And the ideas come from ...

Jeanne-Claude: Our heads and our hearts. We never do commissions, and we never accept ideas from other people. Sometimes we do lose interest in an idea.

Christo: We've completed 18 projects in 40 years ...

Jeanne-Claude: ... and failed at 38 projects, where either we didn't get the permits or lost interest.

Christo: Our proposals involve real sun, real wind, real water, real air. They cannot be invented on a computer. We want to experience reality, not virtual reality ... to enjoy the visual and sensual physicality of the world. Our projects are bigger than our imaginations, because we inherit everything inherent to the space we work in. We did not invent the politics associated with the Reichstag; it was there. We did not invent the ecology of Biscayne Bay; it was already there.

Q. What can you say about the reactions you receive?

Christo: Our work relates to thousands or even millions of people. Whatever they feel or say, it's all legitimate. We can't say it's not true.

Q. And how do you fund these big projects?

Jeanne-Claude: By selling the preparatory drawings and collages, which are created by Christo in his studio with no assistant. We've lived at the same address in downtown Manhattan since 1964; it's our home and his studio. We are not rich people. We struggle to sell ourselves fast enough to keep up with expenses.