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| Christo The Umbrellas (Joint Project for Japan and USA) Drawing 1989 in two parts 15 x 96" and 42 x 96" (38 x 244 cm and 106.6 x 244 cm) Photo: Wolfgang Volz © 1989 Christo Ref. # 48 |
All materials for the umbrellas were assembled in Bakersfield, California where 1,340 blue umbrellas were shipped to Japan. The fabric, aluminum super-structure, steel frame bases, anchors, wooden base supports, bags, and molded base covers were all assembled here with the production of 11 various manufacturers.
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| Christo and Jeanne-Claude The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91Photo: Wolfgang Volz © 1991 Christo |
"The Umbrellas, free standing dynamic modules, reflected the availability of the land in each valley, creating an invitational inner space, as houses without walls, or temporary settlements and related to the ephemeral character of the work of art."
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| Christo and Jeanne-Claude The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91Photo: Wolfgang Volz © 1991 Christo |
"In the precious and limited space of Japan, the umbrellas were positioned intimately, close together and sometimes following the geometry of the rice fields. In the luxuriant vegetation enriched by water year round, the umbrellas were blue. In the California vastness of uncultivated grazing land, the configuration of the umbrellas was whimsical and spreading in every direction. The brown hills are covered by blond grass. In that dry landscape, the umbrellas were yellow."
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| Christo and Jeanne-Claude The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91Photo: Wolfgang Volz © 1991 Christo |
On October 27, 1991 The Umbrellas were removed and the land was returned to its original state. All of the materials for the umbrellas were recycled.
I was attending grad school at UC Santa Barbara when a couple of my friends volunteered to work on this project. I still kick myself that I didn't go too. Unfortunately, this is an area of high winds and a spectator, a woman was killed when an umbrella flew through the air after winds dislodged it and it struck her fatally. I wonder what the outcome was? Did she sue Christo and Jeanne?
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