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The installation 'The Floating Piers' in Italy.

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'The Floating Piers' of Christo and Jeanne-Claude

See photos of the conception and completion of "The Floating Piers" by artist Christo on Lake Iseo in northern Italy.

/ 18 PHOTOS

The Floating Piers

Christo in his studio working on a preparatory drawing for "The Floating Piers." Italy’s Lake Iseo is re-imagined with a new art project. "The Floating Piers" consist of 100,000 square meters of shimmering yellow fabric, carried by a modular dock system of 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes floating on the surface of the water. Visitors will be able to feel like they are walking on water.

The Floating Piers

"The Floating Piers" was initially drawn in 2015 in two parts.

Artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff presents his monumental installation \"The Floating Piers\" he created with late Jeanne-Claude, on June 16, 2016 during a press conference at Iseo, northern Italy. Some 200,000 floating cubes create a 3-kilometers runway connecting the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation opening on June 18. / AFP PHOTO / Filippo MONTEFORTEFILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images

The Floating Piers

Artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev presented his monumental installation "The Floating Piers" he created with his late wife, Jeanne-Claude, on June 16, 2016 during a press conference at Iseo in northern Italy. 

AFP - Getty Images
At a factory in Fondotoce at Lago Magiore, 200,000 high-density polyethylene cubes are manufactured over a period of eight months before delivered to the project's storage in Montecolino, January 2016.

The Floating Piers

At a factory in Fondotoce at Lago Magiore, 200,000 high-density polyethylene cubes are manufactured over a period of eight months before delivered to the project's storage in Montecolino, January 2016.

Wolfgang Volz

The Floating Piers

The felt that will cover the cubes underneath the yellow fabric is transported from Montecolino to San Paolo island by Elimast Helicopter Service, May 2016.

Frames are attached underneath the cubes to the deadweight anchors on the lakebed with rope made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), covered with a polyester protective layer and with a breaking load of 20 metric tons, April 2016.

The Floating Piers

Frames are attached underneath the cubes to the dead weight anchors on the lake bed with rope made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, covered with a polyester protective layer and with a breaking load of 44,000 pounds, April 2016.

Wolfgang Volz

The Floating Piers

Workers push one of the frames underneath a floating element before connecting it with screws, April 2016.

Workers start to encircle the island of San Paolo with the first floating elements, April 2016.

The Floating Piers

Workers start to encircle the island of San Paolo with the first floating elements, April 2016.

Wolfgang Volz
This handout picture released by photographer Wolfgang Volz on the website \"The Floating Piers\", shows floating elements connecting the island of San Paolo with the island of Monte Isola on May 2016, as part of an artistic project by artists \"Christo and Jeanne-Claude\" on the lake Iseo, northern Italy.

Some 200,000 floating cubes create a 3-kilometers runway connecting the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation opening on June 18. / AFP PHOTO / WOLFGANG VOLZ / Wolfgang Volz / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTISTS \"CHRISTO AND JEANNE-CLAUDE\"  UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE COPYRIGHT \"PHOTO WOLFGANG VOLZ\"WOLFGANG VOLZ/AFP/Getty Images

The Floating Piers

Floating elements connect the island of San Paolo with the island of Monte Isola on May 2016, Some 200,000 floating cubes create a nearly 2-mile runway connecting the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation.

AFP - Getty Images
Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo gestures during an interview with the Associated Press on his installation 'The Floating Piers'  on the Lake Iseo, northern Italy, Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Some 200,000 floating cubes create a 3-kilometers runway to be clad in bright yellow fabric and connecting the town of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation opening on June 18 through July 3. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

The Floating Piers

Christo gestured during an interview with the AP about his installation "The Floating Piers."

AP
A picture shows a partial view of the monumental installation \"The Floating Piers\" created by artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude, on June 16, 2016 during a press preview at the lake Iseo, northern Italy. Some 200,000 floating cubes create a 3-kilometers runway connecting the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation opening on June 18. / AFP PHOTO / Filippo MONTEFORTEFILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images

The Floating Piers

A partial view of the monumental installation "The Floating Piers."

AFP - Getty Images
Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo stand on his installation 'The Floating Piers' , on the Lake Iseo

The Floating Piers

Christo stands on his installation.

Reuters
A part of the installation 'The Floating Piers' by Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo is seen on the Lake Iseo, northern Italy, June 16, 2016.REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini          FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

The Floating Piers

A part of the installation "The Floating Piers."

Reuters
A picture shows the monumental installation \"The Floating Piers\" created by Artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude, on June 16, 2016 during a press preview at the lake Iseo, northern Italy. Some 200,000 floating cubes create a 3-kilometers runway connecting the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation opening on June 18. / AFP PHOTO/AFP/Getty Images

The installation from a distance

AFP - Getty Images
A general view of the installation 'The Floating Piers' by Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo, on the Lake Iseo, northern Italy, June 16, 2016.REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The Floating Piers

A different view of the installation.

Reuters
A woman walks on the installation 'The Floating Piers' by Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo, on the Lake Iseo, northern Italy, June 16, 2016.REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The Floating Piers

A woman walks on the installation.

Reuters
A woman takes pictures of the monumental installation \"The Floating Piers\" created by Artist Christo Vladimirov Javacheff and Jeanne-Claude, on June 16, 2016 during a press preview at the lake Iseo, northern Italy. Some 200,000 floating cubes create a 3-kilometers runway connecting the village of Sulzano to the small island of Monte Isola on the Iseo Lake for a 16-day outdoor installation opening on June 18. / AFP PHOTO/AFP/Getty Images

A woman took pictures of the installation.

AFP - Getty Images
Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo stands on his installation 'The Floating Piers', on the Lake Iseo, northern Italy, June 16, 2016.REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

Bulgarian-born artist Christo Vladimirov Yavachev known as Christo stands on his installation 'The Floating Piers', on the Lake Iseo

"The Floating Piers" was first conceived by Christo and Jeanne-Claude together in 1970. It is Christo’s first large-scale project since Christo and Jeanne-Claude realized "The Gates" in 2005, and since Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009. As with all of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s projects, "The Floating Piers" is funded entirely through the sale of Christo’s original works of art. After the 16-day exhibition, all components will be removed and industrially recycled.

Reuters
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