Christo's river project is still flowing

Mary Voelz Chandler

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Wolfgang Volz Photo Of Drawing By Christo

A drawing shows artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude's planned Mastaba project. The structure is made of nearly 400,000 stacked oil barrels and would stand about 500 feet tall.

The first detailed look at artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude's plans for Over the River: Project for the Arkansas River, Colorado will soon be available.

Early next week, officials at the Bureau of Land Management plan to release the Design and Planning Report submitted to the agency in April 2007 by the artists. The proposed project would cover sections of the Arkansas River in 2012 with panels of shimmering, silver-colored fabric.

The 2,000-plus-page document will be available through a link on the agency's Web site, said BLM spokesman John Dow. The agency is charged with reviewing and coordinating input and responses to the project, as the artists seek approvals from other groups involved in the site.

Meanwhile, Christo and Jeanne-Claude continue to travel the state this week drumming up interest and support for the project.

Dow confirmed that the BLM has not yet hired a contractor to take that information and create an environmental impact statement on the project. The artists said they hoped such a document would be completed in 18 months to two years.

Over the River is not alone, though. During a talk Wednesday at Colorado College, the artists delved liberally into another project they've been working on since the late 1970s: The Mastaba: Project for the United Arab Emirates.

"We went back a month and a half ago after 25 years," Jeanne-Claude said after the program. Added Christo, "Our representatives have already been there before us."

Christo's drawings for The Mastaba show a structure made of nearly 400,000 brightly colored oil barrels stacked on their sides in the desert of Abu Dhabi. The work would be slanted on two sides, straight on two sides, have a flat top and stand about 500 feet tall.

The couple has hired four engineering professors from around the world - Cambridge, England; Zurich, Switzerland; Champaign, Ill., and Tokyo - to suggest ways The Mastaba can be built. An engineer in Frankfurt will review their findings in the next four to five weeks, Christo said.

Over the River, however, continues to keep them busy - and in the news. They have met with Gov. Bill Ritter and Mayor John Hickenlooper as well as arts leaders, representatives of Sens. Ken Salazar and Wayne Allard, and agencies that will have input into the final project.

Also new on Over the River:

* State agencies involved in the project estimate that 350,000 people, not vehicles, will view the work during its two-week life span.

* The artists have spent about $5 million so far on Over the River. Past project costs include $26 million for The Umbrellas, Japan - U.S.A. 1984-91, $21 million for The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005, and $15.5 million for Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin, 1971-95.

* An exhibition on Over the River, including drawings, anchors, fabric and other objects related to the project, will open in October at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. The show will travel, including a visit to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center in 2011.

* The artists will loan drawings of the project to the upcoming Corporate Collections show in Republic Plaza and plan to attend a reception March 7.

Chandlerm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2677

Join the project

Want to work on Christo and Jeanne-Claude's proposed Over the River: Project for the Arkansas River, Colorado?

In five to six weeks, the project team will launch a Web site (www.overtherivereis.com) with information on how to sign up.

For The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005, some 2,500 people applied for work and 1,700 were hired, Jeanne-Claude said.

The artists only use paid workers, who make minimum wage plus 25 cents per hour.