Walking on water

Grand scale installation artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude have a long history with Italy, where the visionary couple has wrapped monuments, a medieval tower and a Roman wall in fabric. After a 40-year hiatus from the country, and the death of his wife and partner in 2009, Christo now has plans for Italy’s Lake Iseo—a modular floating dock system covered with almost 84,000 square yards of shimmering yellow fabric. Visitors will experience this spectacle by walking the piers between towns and around islands surrounded by mountains.

The Floating Piers, slated for completion in June 2016, will be accessible for only 16 days (and then recycled): modules made of 200,000 high-density polyethylene cubes, 16 m wide and 50 cm high, that will float just above the lake’s surface. The undulating lake will create feelings of mystery and uncertainty among people who choose to experience water walking on the glimmering golden ribbon. The piers will create a walkway that will extend across the lake between the towns of Sulzano and Monte Isola and circle the island of San Paolo.

This is the first large-scale Christo project since The Gates opened in New York City’s Central Park in 2005.