Running Fence, Sonoma and Marin Counties, California
Christo; Jeanne-Claude
Description
Subject Matter:
This photograph documents a view of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s environmental artwork, Running Fence. Like many of their monumental works, the piece was comprised of an enormous amount of industrial materials, such as miles of metal wire and hundreds of thousands of yards of white nylon fabric. Arranged so that the white fabric is strung evenly between metal poles, the piece wove through Sonoma and Marin Counties in California, extending through over twenty four miles of landscape and terminating at the Pacific Ocean. In this photograph, the fence swoops down from the right side of the frame, extending down and up an expanse of hills, making a graceful, serpentine line through the countryside. The nylon fabric strung throughout the length of the fence catches the wind, billowing outwards like the sails of a ship. Once installed, Running Fence existed only for two weeks, after which it was dismantled. Due to this ephemerality, photographs like this one act as an enduring record of the piece’s existence.
Physical Description:
This photograph depicts a view of a hilly landscape and a long fence that curves throughout the countryside and into the distance. The fence is made of steel cable and poles with a wall of white fabric hung throughout its length.
Usage Rights:
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