He has wrapped the German Reichstag in white cloth, scattered thousands of blue and yellow umbrellas across Japan and California, and will soon dress New York City's Central Park in 23 miles of billowing saffron-colored fabric. But, this morning, Installation artist "Christo" completed negotiations with the Israeli government for what will turn out to be his largest project ever.
After the Israeli Wall is completed, which will have a final extension of 403 miles, at a height of 25 feet, Christo and his partner Jeanne-Claude will wrap it all in 2,152,000 square feet of blue polypropylene fabric. In addition, 479 square miles of adjoining land will be covered in woven, white polyester fabric.
In a statement released this morning, Christo reiterated what he told reporters in front of the Knesset yesterday: not one tree will be uprooted, not one cubic meter of soil will be removed from farmland, nor will any home have to be torn down. All will be temporarily covered over, with no lasting damage to the environment. Christo further stated:
"Yes, the local Palestinian community will have to be displaced for two months; and, yes, it was an unfortunate coincidence that the choice of colors are the same as the Israeli flag; but I assure everyone in the region, and in the world, that when this future masterwork of mine is finally unveiled, it will be a symbol of peace and love for all mankind."
