christo gets green light for monumental installation over the arkansas river

christo gets green light for monumental installation over the arkansas river
over the river (project for arkansas river, state of colorado, drawing 2012 in two parts
15 x 65″ and 42 x 65″ (38 x 165 cm and 106.6 x 165 cm)
pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint, aerial photograph with topographic elevations and fabric sample
photo: andré grossmann / © 2012 christo

following an enduring legal battle, artist christo received great news to start the new year. the federal district court has recently upheld the bureau of land management’s (BLM) approval of the proposed work ‘over the river‘. the dismissal of this challenge by rags over the arkansas river (ROAR) regarding the project’s potential for environmental harm, marks a major victory toward making this two-week temporary work of art a reality. ‘I was always confident the court would uphold the BLM’s actions because the environmental impact statement conducted by the BLM was thorough and comprehensive,’ christo said. ‘we have one appeal in state court still outstanding, but today we took a significant step forward in realizing over the river.’

the vision ‘over the river’ by christo and jeanne-claude, his late wife and partner, was conceived as early as 1992. the significant work, consistent in scale and monumentality as the duo’s long celebrated creative endeavors, comprises 5.9 miles (9.5 kilometers) of a silvery, luminous fabric suspended high above the water in eight distinct areas along a 42-mile (67.6 kilometer) stretch of the arkansas river in colorado. the continuous stream of successive fabric panels is to be only temporarily interrupted by bridges, rocks, trees and bushes, and for esthetic and technical considerations. steel wire cables, anchored on the upper part of the riverbanks, will cross the river to attach the fabric panels, which will follow the configuration and width of the changing course of the river.

over the river (project for arkansas river, state of colorado), drawing 2013 in two parts
15 x 96″ and 42 x 96″ (38 x 244 cm and 106.6 x 244 cm)
pencil, pastel, charcoal, wax crayon, enamel paint, fabric sample and aerial photographs with topographic elevations
photo: andré grossmann / © 2013 christo

over the river (project for arkansas river, state of colorado), collage 2013
17 x 22″ (43.2 x 55.9 cm)
pencil, enamel paint, wax crayon, photograph by wolfgang volz, topographic map, fabric sample and tape
photo: andré grossmann / © 2013 christo

over the river (project for arkansas river, state of colorado), collage 2013 in two parts
30 1/2 x 26 1/4″ and 30 1/2 x 12″ (77.5 x 66.7 cm and 77.5 x 30.5 cm)
pencil, fabric, twine, pastel, wax crayon, charcoal, enamel paint, aerial photograph with topographic elevations and fabric sample
photo: andré grossmann / © 2013 christo

over the river (project for arkansas river, state of colorado), collage 2012
8 1/2 x 11″ (21.5 x 28 cm)
pencil, enamel paint, photograph by wolfgang volz, wax crayon, fabric sample, topographic map and tape
photo: andré grossmann / © 2012 christo

over the river (project for arkansas river, state of colorado), drawing 2011 in two parts
15 x 65″ and 42 x 65″ (38 x 165 cm and 106.6 x 165 cm)
pencil, charcoal, pastel, wax crayon, enamel paint, aerial photograph with topographic elevations and fabric sample
photo: andré grossmann / © 2011 christo