'More Work' - 'The Gates'

The Gates #2, Central Park, New York, NY, 2005

As I was going through some old negatives I was reminded of the photos I did of The Gates in early 2005. I have been a big fan of Christo and Jeanne-Claudes work since my high-school photography teacher introduced me to them. I especially liked , The Museum of Contemporary Art, Wrapped, Chicago, 1968-69 (image).

I was excited (back in 2004) when I heard that their Gates project was finally granted. This piece was the talk of the town -- it got so much shit I couldn't believe it. There were a large amount of people that loved it but there was an even greater number of people that panned it -- including a portion of the contemporary art world. Personally, I wasn't sure about it either, this is until I actually went. I found it to be truly breathtaking.

I am happy to say I experienced the project to its fullest. I spent 6 of the 16 days in Central Park during the installation. I arrived at 4:30am every morning with my 4x5 in hand. The Gates ended up being the most-photographed art piece in history -- I was determined to get the best shots. Up until shooting The Adventures of Dixie, I hadn't had that much fun taking pictures since high-school.

See all of my Gates images here.