Material Notes: Time
1. Childhood
I was three years old when The Gates was first conceived.
At that age I had no idea that somewhere in the world two artists had imagined thousands of saffron gates stretching through Central Park.
Some works begin long before we are aware of them.
2. Two Birthdays
Years later I discovered another coincidence.
Christo and I share the same birthday:
13 June.
It is only a coincidence.
Still, I have always felt an unexpected affinity with the way he thought about making art.
3. Waiting
The proposal for The Gates was made in 1979.
It took twenty-six years before New York finally said yes.
That may be the part of their story that moves me the most.
Not the installation.
The waiting.
4. The Project
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates project collage.
Caption
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Gates project collage.
The original presentation combines technical drawings, material samples and photographs, revealing that concept, material and site were always inseparable.
One day I hope to own one of these project collages.
5. Turning
While I was growing up...
the project was still waiting.
While I was studying architecture...
it was still waiting.
While I started working...
it was still waiting.
Only later did I understand that some ideas simply have a different rhythm than a human career.
6. What I Learned
That may be why I am no longer afraid of slow projects.
Some paintings need months.
Some ideas need years.
Some works need decades.
7. Closing
Today I understand something I couldn't have understood before.
Time is not always the opposite of creation.
Sometimes...
time is the material.
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