At “The Gates”
Just heard the sad news that one of the artists behind “The Gates”, Jeanne-Claude, died of a brain aneurysm last night.
I came up to see “The Gates” one weekend when I lived in DC. I knew nothing about it or the artists involved, but it turned out to be something pretty cool. They put 7,503 orange ‘gates’ around the walkways of Central Park and hung orange curtains from them. It was a simple concept, but executed on such a grand-scale it was inspiring and made you happy that cities are willing to take a chance on Art every now and again.
Obviously NYC got something out of funding it, I DID come to NYC to see it, but there were no guarantees and yet it happened.
Unfortunately, the name “The Gates” reminded me of the black-metal band “At The Gates” so I couldn’t help hearing their songs in my head as I walked through the windy, chilly, inspiring landscape.
For those of you that couldn’t make it to NYC, or into my head, here is a video I took while there that might help show what it was like.
I realize sad times and accidental puns aren’t a perfect combo, but I hope it stirs something in you, the way art is meant to. Enjoy!
