RIP Christo and Pat Dye
 

Christo

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/ch...ead/index.html

Pat Dye
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/01/us/pa...rnd/index.html


A lot of people passing these days. Hard to keep up.

Coincidentally, I saw the Christo pyramid installation shown in the link in London in 2018. Very cool to see in person. I also met him and had him sign his book. I had been using my photo of it as my Zoom background the last few days and this morning someone told me of his death. Incidentally, he had a big installation (wrapped sidewalks) in KC in the 1970s.

RIP to both.

The engineering firm I worked for at the time volunteered of surveying services to Christo and the KC Parks and rec. I was an Instrument operator at the time. That is the person everyone comes up to talk with and ask are you taking pictures. I didn't know Christo from Adam but here comes this dark haired waifish dude my way. Like all he asked if he could look through the theodolite. He then asked if he could get some topographic information in a specific area. He introduced himself shook my hand and I directed him to my Party Chief a few hundred feet down the walk.

Jacob Loose Park wrapped sidewalks KCMO.
https://christojeanneclaude.net/mobi...pped-walk-ways

https://christojeanneclaude.net/__da...2d098e89a1.jpg
https://christojeanneclaude.net/__da...2d098e89a1.jpg
https://christojeanneclaude.net/__da...c21420ad0e.jpg

He did a big canyon out west somewhere once. I don't remember if it was Colorado or one of our neighbor states. That was before he covered Pat Dye in fabric, I bet.

I think he abandoned doing "over the river" in Colorado on the Arkansas river
in 2017
blamed it on Trump "the new landlord"

There was an opposition group call ROAR.....Rags Over Arkansas River

I thought he did something earlier than that.

I vaguely remember something about the Arkansas River now that you mention it. To be honest, I wasn't a fan. I tend to prefer outdoor scenery over fabric. But maybe that's why I'm not an artist.

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_...mental-art.jpg

"Valley Curtain" (1970-1972) in Rifle, Colorado.

I bet you appreciate raw outdoor scenery more now that you have seen it wrapped in fabric. If that's the case, the artist has served his purpose.

LOL
I forgot about that. I was too young to remember it being a thing. But do now remember reading about it when he was getting blocked by ROAR

That's the one I was thinking of! And yeah, it makes me realize that it's really nice to see wilderness unwrapped.

Dude was ahead of his time. Covering up sidewalks to protect them from Covid-19.

ROFL

Christo's life and work was one of the greatest long cons ever.

I was in Bakersfield when he did the umbrella's along the Grapevine thing. I managed a car rental branch and we rented his crew a couple of passenger vans. He left us one of his sketches of the piece.

First day they opened the umbrellas, wind took one off and killed a guy. Then it was over.

I actually got to meet him at the Swope Park project and got a spike and a chunk of fabric.