The Floating Piers at Lake Iseo, Italy by Christo & Jeanne-Claude.

For sixteen days – June 18 to July 3, 2016 – Italy’s Lake Iseo was re-imagined. 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of high-density polyethylene cubes, undulated with the movement of the waves as The Floating Piers rose just above the surface of the water.

Visitors were able experience this work of art by walking on it from Sulzano to Monte Isola and to the island of San Paolo, which was framed by The Floating Piers. The mountains surrounding the lake offered a bird’s-eye view of the installation, exposing unnoticed angles and altering perspectives.

Lake Iseo is located 100 kilometers east of Milan and 200 kilometers west of Venice. “Like all of our projects, The Floating Piers were absolutely free and open to the public,” said Christo. “There were no tickets, no openings, no reservations and no owners. The Floating Piers were an extension of the street and belonged to everyone.”

A 3-kilometer-long walkway was created as The Floating Piers extended across the water of Lake Iseo. The piers were 16 meters wide and approximately 350mm high with sloping sides. The fabric continued along 2.5 kilometers of pedestrian streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio.

“Those who experienced The Floating Piers felt like they were walking on water – or perhaps the back of a whale,” said Christo. “The light and water transformed the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the sixteen days.”

The Floating Piers was first conceived by Christo and Jeanne-Claude together in 1970. It was Christo’s first large-scale project since Christo and Jeanne-Claude realised The Gates in 2005, and since Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009. As with all of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects, The Floating Piers was funded entirely through the sale of Christo’s original works of art. After the 16-day exhibition, all components were removed and industrially recycled.

[Images courtesy of The Floating Piers.]