EXPERIENCING the CHRISTOS' "GATES"

                                  POST # 5

The first four posts in this series outline my experiment in viewing the Christos' Gates. Obviously there would likely be some expected difference in the quality of perceiving this event  from afar, (reading and hearing about it), versus actually experiencing it up close in its immediacy.

The reason for this experiment was to see if I could transcend the hype - relying, instead,  exclusively on my own direct experience to be the "judge" of the worth or lack of worth of this particular happening. Would I be moved at all, if so moved by what, and to what end?

                                                       

I almost went to see it Tuesday as the weather seemed ideal - about 50 degrees and sunny. I decided not to as I felt somewhat out of sorts and didn't want that mood to influence what I hoped would be a stimulating experience.

On Wednesday I took the Metro North train into the city, went onto the subway, made a decision to get off at the 96th street stop, and walk over to Central Park.

Armed with my Canon G1 digital camera with telephoto and wide angle lenses, plus a remarkably efficient Olympus Digital Voice Recorder (DS - 2200) I officially began my experiment.

The following is a selection of representative reactions I had in viewing the Gates:

Crossing Lexington Avenue and 96th street - four blocks from Central Park:

I am glad I decided not to come yesterday. I feel just right today to do my own investigation. We'll see. Nothing special yet. Same old New York for this part of town. Relatively colorless - not exactly drab but clearly no sizzle.

Crossing Park Avenue and 96th street - three blocks from Central Park:

I can see lots of orange in the park. Too bad it is so overcast - probably no sparkle. Let's see.

Crossing Madison Avenue and 96th street - two blocks from Central Park:

Looming larger - I like the orange color - saffron  they call it. Now I see lots of gates. Nice - This is interesting. OK  OK  A big population of gates. OK Look at that! I see my first shot. See those three gates against the big tree - OK- I feel engaged.

Walking South, now inside the park:

The sun is coming out. This is great. Look at the sun hitting the orange color. It's glowing. The layout is impressive. This is gorgeous.

Around 88th Street:

I'm climbing higher. This will be good as I will have a different point of view. Let's see what we have here. Oh, the gates and the color is everywhere. It's getting busy. Crowds of people

This feels spiritual. Look at that pretty green field. It's overcast again - solitude - serenity - colorful.

Here's one {a gate} with those elegant park lamps right in front of it . Isn't that pretty?

Lucky for me - the wind is stirring up .  The saffron flags are flipping and flapping.

Unless you are here to experience the immediacy of this event you can't possibly taste the flavor of it. Nothing beats immediacy.

On spotting a hot dog stand:

How nice. A hot dog stand. I'm starving and my feet are aching but I will keep pressing on. Cool: the sun came out again. This is gorgeous.

Look how beautiful the orange is against the sparkling green fields. This is truly a wonderful sight.

Superlatives don't do this justice. This is really magnificent. The sun is shining - numerous gates are converging - oh look at this beautiful view.

In speaking with the hot dog man:

What's the general reaction? Lot's of people. They love it. No complaints.

About 82nd street:

It's overcast again. A few raindrops. A huge convergence of orange color against the trees - They are all over the place. Clusters of orange/saffron - like spring flowers blooming in the middle of winter - This is gorgeous!

At the skating rink:

Pure white ice and vivid orange/saffron offset by grey purple overcast - what a pretty scene - it sparkles.

About 2:30 P.M.:

This is a special time. This is really nice. It's getting darker. The color is deepening. This is special. It is hard to imagine this event will be over in a week never again to be seen up close and personal like this. It reminds me of having gone to the Asia Society to witness Buddhist sand painting. No pictures were allowed which made the experience excruciating for me. I wanted to capture the moment.

No photos allowed was bad enough. Then to be told that upon the completion of the painting it would be totally destroyed was initially overwhelmingly frustrating. I continued to feel this painful dissonance until I realized that the point is to live now in the present as all things, events, and people change. The point is to live NOW!

Some additional thoughts and feelings:

This was, still is, a truly a special day. I was struck by the notable contrasts of the atmosphere.The weather was variable to my advantage. There was an interplay of calm and wind, light and dark, overcast and sun, warm and cold.

I am aware that this display for some could be quite boring soon after realizing that all there is, is 27 miles of gates and material all virtually the same like a nursery of a thousand identical babies.

Yet, because of the shifting weather, and the differences in terrain each gate and each collective assembly of gates has its own uniqueness. Not all uniqenesses are equal. Some are just there stirring up no particular response. They are just there like most events and most people I come across. Nothing special - just there.

But there are those special times, special arrangements and convergences, the just right amount of sun hitting the saffron orange combined with a slight gust of wind that transfigures the pretty picture into a luminescent kinetic event that stirs my emotions and makes me wish I had the words to capture the subtle thrills that well up like champagne bubbles.

There were moments when I couldn't decide whether I should make a comment into the recorder, or take a photo, and if a photo should I use a telephoto or the wide angle lens. In my indecision I often got things entangled and forgot which pockets I placed my gear.

Lucky for me just as I took my last photo at about 3 PM the battery on the camera exhausted its juice. All well and good as it was beginning to rain and I had all but exhausted my own juice.

Later on my feet ached but my soul soared.

The Christos have done me, New York City, America, and the world a huge favor. The thought crossed my mind that if everyone in the world could view this performance art for one hour peace would intantaneously become a universal reality.

I thank the artists, the Mayor, the volunteers, the hot dog man, and any one else who had anything to do with this truly special once in a lifetime event.

Conclusion:

It's a great time to be alive, It's a great time to live in New York City. Open minded full participation that transcends categories and hype is possible and preferential at least to me. Awareness from the perspective of a distant observer of events has its pleasures but to be actively engaged in the immediacy of the moment like Van Gogh in the fields painting his adored sunflowers - has, in my opinion - no peer. Unquestionably today's pilgramage was suffused with a sense of quintessential meaningful connectedness.

All together I took over 120 photos. For those who are interested I invite you to see my Christos' Gates photo album.

Comments

Another glorious day awaits. The morning“ stars”, Jupiter and Venus, have been dancing a heavenly pas de deux, but now their performace begins its conclusion as their orbits take them their separate ways. The Moon hides her face, preparing for another month of silver glory.

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[To Be Disclosed]

What a bunch of crock! It’s the Emperor’s new cloths all over again. No wonder Bush Baby made it back into office!

Living among the thick, literally........

[Mary Doan]

I'm leaving tomorrow AM from San Francisco to take my 13 year old son and niece to experience the gates. I know it is something that they might not appreciate this week, but will remember their entire lives. It will have an impact on the way they see the world. If that isn't art, what is?

[Merrill Joan Gerber]

Gibbs, Your critical remark was "Okay-- I feel engaged"--which was the moment I began to watch "with you"--that moment we all yearn for (first to be engaged, then "flow"--to be lost in it) and which is so hard to access, to leave our particular selves and go somewhere else.

MJG

[Dan Zukowski]

Terrific post. You connect the in-the-moment feeling with the experience of people and life. We are all so distracted by daily events that the opportunities to be in the moment become fewer and fewer, but they are moments to strive for and savor.

You also bring up the whole issue of direct experience vs. remote experience (through TV, magazines, your photos). To read this is to experience your experience, which perhaps is more real even than the images.

Excellent, excellent.

[MJ]

I'm delighted you had such a wonderful experience! I'm sure this is exactly what Christo had in mind, and considers this well worth the millions he spent to create this.

Millions of people will experience this over the years as a virtual experience. Of course that will have its own value. This lovely thing happened. There will be all those photos and videos and movies of it.

Those who see The Gates will always have their memories of it, and probably their own photos of it as well.

Both of these aspects of experience are different from the actual experience of going there and seeing them. Even that will differ from person to person, depending on the mood, the time, and the weather.

This really points up the difference between virtual and actual experience, doesn't it? I became acutely aware of this difference by watching the Twin Towers fall, and then going inside where I saw this again and again on TV. It was terribly difficult to avoid the virtual experience; this still gets shown on TV fairly regularly. Not by any means the same experience as standing there watching the reality unfold. Not the same thing as my memories either, which I have to fight to keep from being corrupted by the virtual experience.

We're so suffused by virtual experiences, on TV, in the news, that we can barely manage to experience life for ourselves any more. This can't be a good thing.

[June]

Thank you. This (experience and account) is what I was hoping would evolve from The Gates. And while I can't be there, I will at least have had other eyes and minds and cameras helping me out. June