RUNNING FENCE / Christo and Jeanne-Claude
To celebrate the official opening on the 18th September 2021 the spectacular project in honor of Christo and Jeanne-Claude - L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, in Paris, the artists’ unrealized dream for 60 years, we publish an essay about his previous famous work. Read more
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Running Fence Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, 1972-76, photograph 1976
Color photograph by Wolfgang Volz, mounted on aluminum panel, 149.8 x 224.8 (59 x 88 1/2) National Gallery of Art, Washington, Promised Gift of a Private Collector in honor of Dorothy and Herbert Vogel 2001
© Christo 1976, Copyright © 2010 National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
In 1972, an artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude started to work on the project that took about four years to prepare and resulted in an installation, which existed just over two weeks in September 1976. The project got the name “Running Fence”.
The project was rejected on an early stage by some commissions — because of the doubt in its “artistic quality”, although the technical requirements were fulfilled, they just didn’t consider it as “art”. It also got a negative critique from some art experts and from the local people. Indeed, the idea was absolutely unique. In comparison to paintings and sculptures, not just the final result was an artwork but the whole process. It started with getting permissions for land use from counties and from fifty-nine ranching families, negotiations with ranchers, arrangements with authorities, hiring the working team (nearly 400 people), and then participation in the constructing and mounting process, which began in April 1976. “The togetherness” was as integral part of the project, when many of the people involved became very close friends and when it felt like in a big warm family.
The “Running Fence” represents another category of art – environmental, and it challenges all its aspects, it is unique and fragile, has a temporary and transient nature. Nobody could buy this project, own it, steal it, sell entry tickets and commercialise it – the concept of it is absolute freedom.
Not just the fence itself was a work of art but the whole landscape, which was beautiful but not extraordinary by its nature, although the fence could emphasise and energise its curves and shapes, underline its beauty, contrasting with white colour. It was running from the ocean, through the ranches and hills, finally arriving into a small town nearby.
Its length was 24.5 miles (ca. 39 km), which was equal to the length of the closest highway, running from the ocean through ranches to the urban area. Crossing fourteen county roads and tiny roads until it crossed an important Californian highway, Route 101, the “Running Fence” could symbolise the unity of urban and rural life. It was not dividing, but in contrary, rather connecting the man-made structures (houses, farms, barns, roads), running through the hills and making relation between fences of the peoples’ houses, herewith building a kind of network. The fence was supposed to be seen only by public roads, making it available for everyone.
The artists who created this project were not thinking small, Christo and Jeanne-Claude proved to be innovative, brave, and persistent in their endeavours, able to inspire and give enthusiasm to other team members.
The “Running Fence” is one of the artists’ striking projects, like “The Gates” in NYC Central Park, “Valley Curtain” in Rifle, Colorado, “Wrapped Walk Ways” in Jacob Loose Park, Missouri, “Surrounded Islands” in Biscayne Bay, Greater Miami, Florida, “The Pont Neuf Wrapped” in Paris, “The Umbrellas” in Japan-USA, “Wrapped Reichstag” in Berlin and many others.
The artists had plenty of ideas, many projects were declined even for several times, but if some of them remained in their hearts (by confession of Jeanne-Claude) it came to life at the end.
“Our project is like an expedition”, - said Christo in one of the interviews, they didn’t know how to do that at the beginning and learned through the whole process; they enjoyed the real challenge, every foot and kilometre they had to build, every day and month they spent looking for solutions and embodying them.
The „Running Fence“ was made of nylon fabric panels and cable. The material used was very valuable, and after two weeks of the final installation Christo and Jean-Claude distributed it among the landowners, which were happy to get them for various purposes, mostly for assembling cattle guards and own fences.
The artists paid a lot of attention to the documentation of the process, how the project was made. Firstly, it was an essential part of it and belonged to the whole idea; secondly, as the project had a temporary nature, there could be various interpretations by art historians later on. That’s why the exhibitions devoted to the project include not only pictures of the fence in its final condition, but also the archive of photos and videos, documenting the whole process. A friend of them was filming different moments of the project. Christo and Jean-Claude also gave plenty of interviews and shared their ideas, concerns, and impressions. The fact that only sketches, drawings, and photos of the projects are left, gives it a legendary feature.
Although Christo and Jean-Claude repeatedly denied any more in-depth meaning of their projects than an immediate aesthetic impact, such projects raise certain questions and make people think them over trying to find explanations.
The “Running fence” seems to be dividing, but in fact it’s showing us that the fences can be very fragile and even insubstantial. There are plenty of borders and barriers around us, which try to limit our endeavours, enthusiasm, and faith. Some of them are rather unnecessary ones, some might exist only in our imagination or be just temporary and transient, some can be real but effortless to overcome. The nature of the “Running Fence”, the light material it’s made of, the short period of its existence might embody these ideas.
Another point raising – is it justified to spend so much money for the temporary project, which has neither practical meaning nor use? Obviously, such projects are costly and require solid investments. The artists financed them through making drawings of prospective installations and selling them. Actually, they made quite good money with it, as Jeanne-Claude confessed in one interview, she could have been “covered with diamonds”, but they chose to spend all their earnings for the projects. They just had other priorities and values. Christo and Jean-Claude never charged any entry tickets for their installations, on one hand one might consider it as a cultural charity, on the other — the artists just enjoyed their work so much and made these projects for themselves. There were never any sponsors involved, their projects didn’t belong to anyone and were totally free.
The “Running fence” is a good example of courage and persistence in achieving goals, whatever unusual, difficult or somehow “crazy” they might be. Despite rejections on early stages, critiques and complications they had to experience, Christo and Jean-Claude could manage to embody their dreams in reality. And this is an inspiring message they sent to the others.