Umbrellas
It is sad this great documentary about the massive umbrella art installation by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, by Albert Maysles, who made "Grey Gardens" and "Gimme Shelter," doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. I guess I could make one, but the last time I did that was over 10 years ago and I don't know if I remember how. Actually all the Christo and Jeanne-Claude art pages need a lot of work too.
Anyway, this is a documentary about a crazy and cool art installation. There really isn't anyone I know of working today like Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The scale of their work was insane. I previously watched a Maysles doc about "Running Fence," which was a massive fabric fence of 215 million feet being raised along the California hills in the 1970s. There was a lot of vocal community opposition to that one, environmental regulations and a struggle in general. "Umbrellas" came a little later, in the late '80s to 1991 when the umbrellas were opened. These were 3,100 huge steel and fabric umbrellas, saffron and blue, in the hills in both Japan and California. They were supposed to be opened simultaneously, but a typhoon put the Japan project in danger. More weather and tragedy ensure, but no spoilers I guess. (Maybe the Maysles brothers were cursed?) It's absolutely crazy to see the amount of manpower and logistics that went into this artwork. It is beautiful and both communities seemed to be excited and delighted about it. There's even a letter exchange between elementary school children in the California and Japanese areas that is pretty cute. The people's varied reactions are one of the best parts of the documentary.
If something like this existed today, it would be less magnificent in scope and people would be using it as an Instagram prop rather than looking at it. Is art dead in these empty times?
Christo and Jeanne-Claude are a fascinating art team. The scope of what they were able to accomplish is truly insane, and thank goodness for documentaries, because years of work went into these installations that often lasted mere days. If you think "ugh a documentary about modern installation art is not for me," check out "Umbrellas," because the hard work will impress you and the regular person interviews will carry you along with their enthusiasm.
Thanks a lot for this great review. I had the chance to work for Christo & Jeanne-Claude on three of their art projects. I do agree, that there have not been comparable art installations after the death of Christo. Still, the french artist JR has a kind of similar approach, than the artists couple. His installations are also visible in urban settings and are visible only for a limited time. He even will re-create the project "Wrapped Pont Neuf" in Paris, which was realized by Christo & Jeanne-Claude in 1995. He plans to reimagine the Pont Neuf as a cave and the project is planned for the summer 2026.
ReplyDeleteJR also has worked with Agnès Varda. And their road trip for this cooperation can be seen in the wonderful documentation "Visages Villages" (the french title).
Oh wow, thank you so much! I have to find Visages Villages - Agnes Varda is one of my favorites. I would love to see the Point Neuf reimagined as a cave, too. Maybe it is time to plan a voyage for next summer!
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