Christo and Jeanne-Claude show how hard it is to drape a river in fabric. 

Known for their controversial outdoor art installations, Christo and Jeanne-Claude were an artistic power duo. The husband-wife team made massive, site-specific installations like “The Gates” in Central Park, “Wrapped Coast” in Australia and “The Umbrellas” in Japan.

Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009, but Christo has continued to work, currently involved in two ongoing projects. If he can manage to get through the legal obstacles, he will drape the Arkansas River in Colorado with fabric. His second project, which would be his first permanent installation, is called “The Mastaba,” a proposed structure in the United Arab Emirates made of 410,000 oil drums.

But it’s not easy to drape a river in fabric, and not just because of the logistics. Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Over the River project in Colorado is so controversial that a federal lawsuit has been brought against the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of it. The project would cover almost 6 miles of the river. As ROAR, the organization behind the lawsuit, explains, “the proposed Art Project will be constructed almost entirely within a critically sensitive area designated by the federal government as the Arkansas Canyonlands Area of Critical Environmental Concern.”

This isn’t the first time that Christo’s work has been criticized. In fact, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude website has an entire section that is intended as a response to critique from environmentalists, reminding naysayers that, “Christo and Jeanne-Claude are the cleanest artists in the world, all is removed, their large scale works of art are temporary.”

But while temporary, and potentially classified as “environmental art,” the projects are costly, both in terms of money and time. In an interview with the New York Times,  Christo outlined what he has gone through for “Over the River.”

All of our pieces are meant to be interacted with. For example, one of the reasons we chose the Arkansas River for “Over the River” is because it’s very accessible. So, before we even began, we had to go present to the chamber of commerce in the towns of Salida and Cañon City. They gathered citizens, and we presented the project and our past work. Almost all the land along the river for the project is owned by the Bureau of Land Management. We prepared a 2,000-page application and report, which ended up costing over a million dollars. The federal government looks at that study and says, “Okay, now we’re going to hire a group of engineers to conduct an Environmental Impact Statement and you will pay for that study.” So that study ended up costing $2.5 million dollars. Then we were summoned to present in an auditorium in Washington, to give a lecture to 700 employees of the B.L.M., so that their experts could ask questions about the project.

The ultimate cost of such an endeavor?

For the “Over the River” project, I still can’t tell you when it will be installed. But I can tell you we’ve already spent $14 million on it. We are probably the only artists in the world who have a 2,000-page book on a work of art that doesn’t exist.

Christo is no newbie when it comes to opposition. In fact, it seems that most of his and Jeanne-Claude’s projects were not without controversy. According to the Denver Post, “He and Jeanne Claude spent 26 years fighting to erect 7,503 fabric gates in New York City’s Central Park in 2005. They negotiated for 32 years before wrapping 178 trees in a Swiss park in 1998.”

But the opposition in Colorado has been intense. “I’m not a masochist! I did not choose to have the process be so complicated. And sometimes it’s very nasty. In Colorado, we needed to have the sheriff at the meetings because people would come with guns,” Christo told “The New York Times.” That’s not to say that all of Colorado is against him; the project has been just as unifying as it has been divisive. 

Will the river be draped in fabric? Ultimately, only time will tell whether Christo or his opposition will win.

Related on EcoSalon

Environment as Art: 15 Beautiful Pictures of Nature

20 Unforgettable Works of Environmental Art

20 Conscious Artists Who Go Beyond the Canvas

Image: cisc1970

The post Controversial Art: Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s ‘Over the River’ Project appeared first on EcoSalon.

15 different beautiful pictures of nature by artists who love the environment. 

Using the environment as their canvas, or taking artistic inspiration from nature, these artists are the leaders of the environmental art movement. Their beautiful pictures of nature inspire us and cause us to think, contemplating our own place in the natural world and our relationship to the earth that we inhabit.

1. Simon Beck (photo above)

Spending long days walking in the snow, artist Simon Beck creates his large scale snow art. The patterns are made completely by foot; Beck wears snowshoes to create them.

2. Andy Goldsworthy

One of the most notable artists working in the environmental sphere, British artist Andy Goldsworthy constructs works of art on site, his pieces closely tied to the locations that he creates them in. His work, captured as beautiful pictures of nature, is well captured in the documentary Rivers and Tides.

3. Carlotta Brunetti

Born in Italy and raised in Germany, Carlotta Brunetti creates beautiful pictures of nature in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Her goal as an artist is to connect her indoor work with her outdoor pieces, forcing us to think about our own relationship to nature.

4. Jim Denevan

Working on sandy beaches, Jim Denevan creates temporary installations of art inspired by the environment. The artist, who’s also a surfer, is clearly inspired by his surroundings, using a driftwood stick found on site to create his huge installations that are eventually erased by the ocean.

5. Néle Azevedo

Néle Azevedo, an artist and independent researcher based in Brazil, is the woman behind Minimum Monument, an urban art action in public spaces around the world. It’s composed of hundreds of ice sculptures that are taken to central places and then left to melt. In 2009 Azvedo installed a version in Berlin, which received worldwide attention, highlighting the threat of climate change.

6. Richard Schilling

Self-described as a “land artist” Richard Schilling works closely with his surroundings. The British artist makes natural sculptures that he constructs with materials that he gathers near where the sculpture is installed.

7. Agnes Denes

Born in Hungary in 1931, Agnes Denes came to the conceptual art scene in the 1960s. Working in a variety of mediums, her first environment focused piece was in 1968. One of her most well-known pieces Wheatfield – A Confrontation, where she planted a field of golden wheat in downtown Manhattan, at the Battery Park Landfill.

8. Yann Arthus-Bertrand

You can’t talk about environmental art without mentioning Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The French photographer, journalist and environmentalist is world famous for his beautiful pictures of nature taken from the sky. In 1994, on a project sponsored by UNESCO, he set out to document the state of the Earth. The resulting book, Earth from Above (‘la Terre vue du ciel’), sold over 3 million copies and was translated into 24 languages.

9. Anna Garforth

Instead of using spray paint, Anna Garforth does graffiti with moss. But that’s not all she does. The London-based artist has worked on a variety of projects for brands and museums around the world capturing beautiful pictures of nature and transforming urban spaces.

10. Chris Jordan

Photographer Chris Jordan is most well-known for his large scale works addressing consumption and garbage. His work has taken him to the island of Midway to document the effects of waste. He captured the tragedy of ocean pollution, with his heart wrenching images of dead albatross, their stomachs filled with trash from the North Pacific Gyre.

11. Patrick Dougherty

To give you an idea of what Patrick Dougherty does, his website is called Stick Work. Combining carpentry skills with an art background, Dougherty has built over 230 impressive works around the world, some in natural settings and other in the middle of urban spaces.

12. Nils Udo

German artist Nils Udo is another legendary environmental artist, working with the natural environment since the early 1970s. Like other artists in his genre, he uses items found on site to build his installation pieces, which range from large nests to colorful mixtures of leaves.

13. Gloria Lamson

Creating temporary installations using natural or simple manmade materials, Gloria Lamson explores ways to engage natural forces. She often works in remote locations, documenting her work through photography. She has a beautiful series titled “Drawing in the Land” looking at how lines activate our awareness of space.

14. Robert Smithson

Earthwork artist Robert Smithson, who passed away in the 1970s, was well-known for his sculpture and land art. Perhaps most famous is his Spiral Jetty in Great Salt Lake, Utah.

15. Nicole Dextras

Environmental artist Nicole Dextras works in a variety of mediums, from grass to ice. In 2012 she put together The Little Green Dress Projekt, a collection of 21 handmade botanical dresses, in her words: “wear it and compost it.” Pushing the limits of art and architecture, Urban Foragers is a collection of “wearable architectures” – they are clothes that transform into a temporary shelter.

Related on EcoSalon:

20 Unforgettable Works of Environmental Art

20 Conscious Artists Who Go Beyond the Canvas

Images: Simon Beck, Phil Roeder, Women Environmental Artists Directory, Jim Denevan, Néle Azevedo, Robert Schilling, Agnes Denes, Yann Arthus Bertrand, Anna Garforth, Chris Jordan, Duncan Price, Justin Warner, Ned Raggett, Retis, Nicole Dextras

The post Environment As Art: 15 Beautiful Pictures of Nature appeared first on EcoSalon.

Environmental artist’Fuchsia Lin’s latest project brings attention to Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto’s profound discovery about water and hopes it can change the way we see the world, starting with a very personal transformation within each of us.

Environmentalism has long been the focus for artist Fuchsia Lin. Creating film, photography and textile sculpture that includes costume and fashion design, Lin uses environmentally friendly techniques and materials to promote the message of sustainability.  Her inspiring and avant-garde designs have been sold at the famed Parisian boutique, Colette and collected by notables such as Bjork.

Water, and the need to protect the earth’s freshwater resources, is a recurring theme in her work. The environmental artist recently completed a multimedia project, Fantasy Folklore and Freshwater, which was rewarded with a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council Individual Project.

Her latest project, Crystals of Transformation, returns to familiar watery territory to celebrate the inspiring research of Dr. Masaru Emoto. His groundbreaking studies have suggested that water molecules change their structural forms to beautiful crystals or deformed structures depending on whether they are exposed to positive or negative thoughts and environments.

In collaboration with choreographer and dancer, Andrea Parson, Lin will create a series of costumes that express the essence of water crystals and the potential of Dr. Emoto’s discoveries for personal transformation.  “The two phrases that Dr. Emoto found water strongly responded to are: ‘Thank-you’ and ‘I love you,’” says Lin. “Water, complex and multi-dimensional is as much a ‘being’ as we are. As our bodies are 70%, our brains 90%, and much of our planet is water, honoring this discovery would truly impact our collective health and environment if we were conscious of the water we come in contact with.”

The project was awarded the RACC’s Professional Development Grant, which she is supplementing with a Kickstarter-like fundraising campaign through artist-supporting site, USAProjects.org. The campaign ends on June 25th for those wishing to contribute.

Crystals of Transformation from Fuchsia Lin on Vimeo.

Image courtesy of Fuchsia Lin

The post Environmental Artist Fuchsia Lin’s Crystals of Transformation appeared first on EcoSalon.

Artists are working to create a more fashionable frontier for all.

The blank slate of a new year is as seductive as the lure of a crisp white piece of clothing for one’s mishmash wardrobe. We all crave a fresh start and the promise of renewal, although I have never been one to hastily cast off the old in order to usher in the new. I am just way too practical as an artist who examines and preserves every scrap of fiber for some drafty hole that might present itself unexpectedly. 2012 will instead be a continuation of my ongoing mission to seek out individuals who understand the power of resourcefulness and the collective twining of fiber taking flight.

Naturally dyed-fiber from The Sacred Valley of Peru via Source4Style 

2011 found us exploring therapeutic connections between the heart, the mind, and handcrafting, and the year to come will no doubt be a continued testing ground for how and why we choose to implement DIY strategies as well as having increased access to sustainable fiber and artisan-made textiles via sites like Source4Style. I will be looking to designers, (outsider) artists, storytellers, and even urban gardeners for evidence of why the cultivation of local narratives and subversive craftiness makes good sense. It is at the fringe of these diverse realms where I feel that many sustainable solutions reside.

‘Knitta, Please’ urban fiber installation in Sydney, Australia

Fashion happenings are all good fun but for a huge sector of the population, this is still foreign territory and not so inviting at that. Our day-to-day lives are riddled with break out moments of stylistic genius, but it is is our immediate environs that influence how we look and feel in a sustained manner. I like the idea of casting the net wider to consider ideas related to ‘fashioning self and the environment’ – meaning that, a true understanding of how to map out a lasting fashion sensibility must now include a closer (smarter) examination of self in relation to one’s environment and the resources available.

The ‘Knitta, Please’ handknit bus paves the way for a more fashionable frontier

Women are quite good at this. We know how to make do, mend, and even tie together the loose ends to create safety nets for ourselves and those random beings who dare to cross our path. We also know how to turn an impossible situation into a crazy quilt that warms an entire community of loved ones. I am reminded of artist Magda Sayeg who went from being a single mother on welfare to being an entrepreneurial design maven with her knitted public works (aka guerrilla yarn bombing projects) under the studio name, Knitta, Please. In a recent article on Magda’s work in the Wall Street Journal, one is seduced by the power of crafting a path to a brighter future with a stockpile of pop art yarn and the conviction to subversively adorn just about everything labeled commonplace or inconsequential.

Textile scraps being handspun for knit couture by designer Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda

Similarly, I admire how designer Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda is currently scouring the floors of designer work rooms and studios for scraps of textiles that are being hand spun into knitted runway creations for The Green Fashion Competition at Amsterdam Fashion Week in late January.

 Handspun fiber is knitted and prepped  for the runway by Zaida Adriana Goveo Balmaseda

Zaida shared some of the following sentiments with us regarding her resourceful process and intention:

“Through my work I intend to encourage and engage people to use craft for solutions, and for my current project we are recycling studio textile waste. I discovered the spinning process while researching recycled yarns, and given that I was not really satisfied with my finds, I wanted to work with a fiber that I had complete control over and that would positively impact my surroundings, including the people I know. Spinning yarn can be done with a very simple tool, and many people can participate in the transformation of this raw material. In just one week I taught my grandparents, brother, sister, and mother how to spin. We are creating and sharing stories together, and it has been incredibly rewarding to see everyone cooperating and enthusiastically wanting to learn a new skill. Each skein is unique, just like its spinner and the runway garments that we are knitting as well.”

Recycled fiber forms by Abigail Doan include street flotsam and recycled textiles

In regards to my own work, the challenges that interest me the most are those where seemingly complex situations might be untangled and plied into revitalized objects of texture and hue. In preparation for Vogue Knitting Live‘s curated fiber gallery this next week, I have been creating sculptural fiber forms, some of which include “Plarn” or recycled plastic bag yarn created by a Roma woman named Abibe in Eastern Bulgaria. I was introduced to Abibe by my friend Charity Wright, who is currently working as an educator and sustainable business consultant while in the Peace Corps in Malko Turnovo. This historic border town at the gateway to Turkey has a history of traditional textile weaving as well as organic wool production from the flocks that roam freely in the Strandja Mountains. I welcomed this introduction to Abibe, as she was some one who had never worked with recycled materials for an art installation but had instinctively been repurposing items in her own home for a recycled plastics and crocheted eco-accessory collection. Through the bridge that Charity helped to build with this self-taught artist, my most recent fiber forms have even more layered meaning and a connection to the lifecycle of Abibe’s household.

Artist Abibe of Shau New Light, proudly shows off her recycled accessories in Bulgaria

It is interesting to think about fashion as something that connects us to those fibers that transgress borders, trends, and in turn might even redefine who we are dressing up for. It has been eye-opening for me to create my latest work with input from some one who has never traveled out of Bulgaria or visited my distant home, but definitely shares the same worries and concerns as a mother and artist trying to carve out time for herself. I will be so honored to present this effort to the public in New York City next week.

Judith Scott’s fiber sculpture crafted out of recycled textiles and found broken objects

I am reminded also of the fiber artist Judith Scott who was institutionalized for more than thirty-five years for being profoundly “retarded” with Down Syndrome. It was not until Judith’s twin sister Joyce was finally reunited with her, that the threads of this story unraveled. Celebrated in her later years as being one of the most powerful textile artists of this century, Judith Scott is still considered by some to be an “outsider artist” who operated at the far frontier of contemporary craft. Scott’s sculptural forms, created out of artfully wound scrap fiber and broken objects that had been blatantly dismissed, make her pieces ones that rival many of today’s upcycling expressions. Which begs me to ask, whether the plying of the marginal and disenfranchised with our current ideas about what is fashionable might finally redefine the edginess that we are so desperately hoping to occupy? I say, let’s work to ply a more fashionable frontier for all.

lead image: Jazmin Berakha

The post Plying A More Fashionable Fiber Frontier appeared first on EcoSalon.