Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Running Fence: Art, Ecology, and Politics

The Running Fence, a 25-mile-long white nylon wall across California's Sonoma and Marin counties, was installed in 1976 by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The project required two years of negotiations with 60 local farmers and 18 public hearings over ecological concerns. Constructed with 238,400 square yards of fabric, 2,000 steel poles, and 145 miles of cable, it stood for only two weeks, attracting over 2 million visitors. The artists fully financed the work by selling preparatory drawings. After dismantling, all materials were given to workers. Originally conceived for West Berlin to symbolically erase the Berlin Wall, the artists abandoned that plan due to permitting difficulties. In 2016, artist Luis Camnitzer proposed a new version of the Running Fence to replace Donald Trump's proposed US-Mexico border wall. The work is noted for its impermanence and sustainable interaction with the landscape.