The Arc de Triomphe wrapped in [membrane]

If you go to Paris now, you will find that the Arc de Triomphe has changed. It wears a shiny silver-blue "coat" and is also tied with a "red belt." After three months of construction, the Arc de Triomphe, a historical site in Paris, was completely wrapped, using 270,000 square feet of silver-blue polypropylene fabric and fixing it with red rope.

This is the design of the late artists Christo and Jeanne Crowder, their crazy dream 60 years ago has finally become a reality. The operation director of this project and Christo’s nephew Vladimir Yavachev explained that the gleaming fabrics and bright ropes are Christo’s "poetic interpretation" of the French blue, white and red flag. Yavachev worked with his uncle Christo for 30 years. Yavachev said in a video interview: "He likes colors that change with the weather and time. This fabric is reminiscent of the roofs of Paris... the silver-gray."

Anne Bergharts, the engineer on this project, said that her team's first task was to interpret the final form Christo wanted. She said in a video interview: “In his drawings, you can see that the shape he designed does not fit perfectly with the Arc de Triomphe. The shape he wants is square and square, horizontal and vertical, while the eaves of the Arc de Triomphe are warped. The corners are very sharp." They have to figure out what to do to keep the wind from pulling the fabric and at the same time be soft and flexible. She said: "Christo really likes to imagine the fabric fluttering in the wind."

But most importantly, Berghartz's team must protect the Arc de Triomphe and all the reliefs, from the statues on both sides of the arch to the intricate cornices. Although engineers are allowed to drill some holes in the Arc de Triomphe, they must minimize the damage. Therefore, they installed a wooden protective board between the steel beam and the main body of the arch to protect the surface of the arch from scratches, and also protected the relief with a wooden frame.

The substructure was installed on the Arc de Triomphe at the end of August this year. It includes sculptures, steel trusses in front of cornices and decorations, corner members and wooden box structures for fixing prestressed cables, and cantilever beam support structures on the roof. A sparkling blue fabric made of polypropylene mesh hangs down from the roof. More than 70 "Spider-Man" unfolded the roll of blue fabric; then, as shown in Christo's collage, the fabric was "tied" to this landmark building in Paris with a special red string.

The currently invisible substructure provides the necessary protection for this monument. The final artwork will be exhibited for 16 days from September 18th to October 3rd, 2021, and then demolished on October 4th.

This project cost a total of 14 million euros (approximately 100 million yuan). But the spokesperson for the project said that, like all the projects that Christo and Jeanne-Claude have done, the funds used for the "Paralled Arc de Triomphe" will all come from the sale of their drawings and other original artworks. Sotheby’s Paris is holding an exhibition and a private auction, which includes 25 works of art. The proceeds from the auction will go to the project and the foundation of the two artists.

English source: CNN

Translation & Editing: Danny

Source: China Daily