The Floating Piers installation
For 16 days, starting June 18 through July 3, visitors of Lake Iseo can walk from Sulzano to Monte Isola and onto the island of San Paolo, which is framed by “The Floating Piers”. The installation is the work of Christo and Jeanne-Claude, measures 52 feet wide and a 1.8-mile-long walkway, using 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes, the installation will float approximately one foot above the water, with its edges sloping to the side, allowing any water to run off into the lake.
The installation is absolutely free and accessible to visitors 24/7. The concept was first conceived by the artist Christo and his wife, Jeanne-Claude, in 2007, and it is the first large-scale project he has completed since her death in 2009. With the work, visitors will experience the beauty of the lake and its surroundings while walking across it from the small town Sulzano to Monte Isola and to the island of San Paolo, which is framed by the piece.
Once visitors walk off the yellow path, the fabric continues along for another 8,000 feet through the streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio. The installation is free and accessible 24 hours a day, weather permitting. “There are no tickets, no openings, no reservations, and no owners.The Floating Piers are an extension of the street and belong to everyone,” said Christo in a statement.
