Christo’s vision of an 18 foot tall, 24.5 mile long fence, made of fabric, stretching from the Pacific Ocean through to the interior of California, was not something that came about easily or without objection from residents of the area. It took several years of persistence, dedication, and hard work to fulfill his artistic dream. A recent exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington paid tribute to the artist, the work, and the people who helped make it a reality.
How The Running Fence Began
Christo envisioned his unusual art project as a fence that would not separate people but instead bring them together, running alongside man made structures and visible to people driving on nearby roads. The fabric would ripple and undulate from the movement of air on land and from the motion of the sea as it terminated into the waters of the Pacific Ocean, all the while catching the changing light of day. Christo said his inspiration for Running Fence came during a drive along the Continental Divide where he saw snow fences running along the highway.
Christo began meeting with landowners along the proposed route of the fence in 1973, asking their permission to lease the land for the temporary installation. It took two and a half years to overcome all the legal hurdles so that work on the project could finally begin. There were challenges mounted by a group called the Committee to Stop the Running Fence who claimed the fence wasn’t really an art project at all and that there would be severe environmental problems caused by it.
Christo’s Running Fence has the dubious distinction of being the first art project that required an environmental impact statement. Eighteen public hearings and three sessions in California Superior Courts later, all the legal issues were settled so that Running Fence could finally be installed.
Installation of the Running Fence
Actual installation of Running Fence began in April, 1976 as approximately 400 paid workers, including art students and members of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, began setting 2,050 steel poles and hanging 240,000 sq. yards of heavy, woven white nylon fabric between them. Christo was able to save money on the project by purchasing the poles from the United States Army which had used them during the Vietnam War and had thousands left over.
Running Fence stood for only two weeks after which Christo and his crew dismantled it, leaving no trace behind. It crossed 14 major roads, passing through only one town, Valley Ford. The ranchers on whose land the project was installed were paid for the use of their land and in addition were allowed to keep all the building materials.
Today one of the steel poles that formed Running Fence stands in the center of Valley Ford with an American flag attached to it, fluttering on the same breezes that moved the curtains of Christo’s inspiring work.
Sources:
- Smithsonian Magazine, June 2010
Lawrence Koppy - Lawrence Koppy is an Oregon native living in the high desert of Central Oregon. He has been a small business owner for many years ...
