Recycling materials from artistic installations is gaining prominence and it is even inspiring exhibitions and pavilions at biennial events.
This month marks the two-year anniversary of the public artwork by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, "L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, 1961-2021," that attracted millions of people when it was unveiled.
Wrapping L'Arc de Triomphe was the realization of a project sixty years in the making; Christo used to call it his last "temporary exhibition".
All the projects made by Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude involved careful preparation and political negotiation, but this one was particularly dear to him as it was the first monument he dreamt of wrapping.
The temporary installation, completed in partnership with the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (CMN), the government institution that manages the Arc de Triomphe, and Christo's dedicated team, is currently undergoing its final phase of repurposing.
Christo and Jeanne-Claude's installations were usually entirely self-funded and had a limited lifespan, after which the materials were repurposed or recycled, and the sites meticulously restored to their original condition.
For instance, the wooden and steel substructures of "L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped" were given new purposes and used by Les Charpentiers de Paris, ArcelorMittal and Derichebourg Environnement respectively.
To complete the sustainability cycle of the installation, the 25,000 square meters of silvery-blue polypropylene fabric and 3,000 meters of red polypropylene rope have instead recently been processed by Parley for the Oceans and the materials are now moving into the design and production phase.
The materials are set to enjoy a second life during upcoming significant events in Paris, most notably the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as confirmed by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
These materials will soon be transformed into shade structures, tents, or barnums for this major events in Paris, that will help protecting people during heatwaves.
The announcement coincides with a new event dedicated to Christo's early works, on display at 4 Princelet Street in London (from 6th to 22nd October), as part of the Gagosian Open series of off-site projects.
These sculptures see everyday objects wrapped in fabric or plastic and secured with rope or twine and reveal an artist who, even during the early stages of his career, exhibited a creative response to domestic and urban environments. Most of these works date back to the 1960s and 1970s, and they also convey themes of movement, migration, and preservation.
The artist's diverse heritage and his experience as a political refugee, shaped his identity as a perpetual wanderer, as he often referred to himself - "l'étranger."
In March 1958, Christo Javacheff (1935-2020) arrived in Paris as a stateless political refugee, having escaped Communist Bulgaria in 1956 and found his way to Vienna via Czechoslovakia, smuggled in a freight car with only a scrap of paper bearing his destination. With the help of connections in Geneva, he eventually reached Paris, where a French aristocratic family offered him refuge in a maid's room overlooking the Arc de Triomphe. After 17 stateless years, Christo became a United States citizen in 1973.
This narrative is mirrored by the history of 4 Princelet Street, which has housed successive migrant families. Originally built in 1723 to accommodate Huguenot migrants, it has since been a home to Irish linen workers, Eastern European Jews, Dutch Jews, and more recently, the Bangladeshi community in Spitalfields.
It would be interesting to see if some of the materials from the Arc de Triomphe installation could be destined also to design students or ethical fashion projects to create artworks linked with sustainability and the refugee theme (Helen Storey's Dress For Our Time comes to mind), or could be used to come up with temporary structures for refugees in collaboration with a renowned architect known for such projects (Shigeru Ban?). You know that Christo would have appreciated the idea.
Image credits for this post
1. Christo and Jeanne-Claude, L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961-2021
Photo: Wolfgang Volz
© 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
2. Installing the ropes to secure and contour the fabric on the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, September 13, 2021
Photo: Lubri
© 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
3. Christo and Jeanne-Claude, L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, Paris, 1961-2021
Photo: Benjamin Loyseau
© 2021 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
4 - 8. Recycling of the fabric and ropes used for "L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped", 2023
Courtesy Parley for the Oceans
© 2023 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
9. Christo
"Dolly"
1964
Wooden box, tarpaulin, polyethylene, rope, girth, and metal wheels
183 x 101.5 x 82 cm (72 x 40 x 32 ¼ in)
Property of the Estate of Christo V. Javacheff
Photo: Eeva-Inkeri
© 1964 Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation
Comments