Christo receives Celebration of Lives Award ahead of Floating Piers opening

Christo, the Bulgarian-born Land Art master, was honored with the Celebration of Lives Award 2016 by the Biografilm Festival in Bologna. The award, presented by festival director Andrea Romeo, recognizes storytellers who have left a deep mark on contemporary history. Previous recipients include Marina Abramović, Judith Malina, Charlie Kaufman, Clint Eastwood, and Michel Gondry. Christo and his late wife Jeanne-Claude, who died in 2009, were both born on June 13, 1935. To celebrate Christo's 81st birthday, Romeo visited him on Lake Iseo, where his latest work, The Floating Piers, was about to open. The installation consists of a 4.5 km walkway connecting Sulzano to Monte Isola and San Paolo Island, visible and accessible from June 16 to July 3, 2016. In a video produced by the Biografilm staff, Christo appears relaxed, joking about his work while discussing its genesis and inspirations. Art historian Fabriano Fabbri, a professor at the University of Bologna, introduced the artist via telephone interview.