Running Fence, Environmental art installation in Sonoma and Marin Counties, California.
Running Fence was a temporary installation of white nylon fabric that crossed two California counties in 1976. The fabric hung from steel cables between several thousand poles and followed the relief of the hills down to the Pacific coast.
Artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude developed the project from 1972 and conducted negotiations with landowners and authorities. After removal in September 1976, the materials were distributed in all directions or donated.
The work lay entirely on private land and could be viewed from public roads, reigniting discussion about art in rural areas. Visitors at the time drove along intersection points with highways and country roads to see the fabric run over hills and valleys.
The installation no longer exists on site, but archival material and photographs show the route and appearance of the fabric. Interested visitors can trace the former route through the area and imagine how the work once crossed the landscape.
The project financed itself entirely through the sale of preparatory drawings and studies by the artists, without external sponsors. After removal, fabric scraps and poles became sought-after souvenirs that are still kept in private collections today.
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