WRAPPED REICHSTAG

In Bonn, on February 25th, 1994, at a plenary session, the Bundestag - the parliament of Germany - debated for 70 minutes and voted on the temporary work of art WRAPPED REICHSTAG, PROJECT FOR BERLIN. The result of the roll call vote was: 292 in favor, 223 against and 9 abstentions.

In 1971 when Christo and Jeanne-Claude started working on the project WRAPPED REICHSTAG, the former parliament of Germany showed much hope a nd little expectation that the Reichstag would ever again house the National Legislature. Today, more than ever, the Reichstag demonstrates the encounters of the east with the west and of the past with the future.

The Reichstag stands up in an open, strangely metaphysical area, related to its own changes from the late 19th century, built in 1894, burned in 1933, almost destroyed in 1945 and restored in the sixties. The Reichstag was in continuous changes and perturbations, but always remained the symbol of Democracy.

100,000 square meters (1,076,000 square feet) of thick high-strength woven polypropylene fabric with an aluminum surface, and 15,600 meters (51,181 feet) of blue polypropylene rope, diameter of 3.2 cm (1-1/4 inches), will be used for the wrapping of the Reichstag. Each facade will be covered by five to seven tailor made fabric panels, twice as much fabric as the surface of the building. All statues and ornaments will be under specially fabricated cage-like structures altering and outlining the silhouette of the upper part of the building.

The work will be completed in three phases. The first phase includes all off-site work such as weaving, cutting and sewing of the fabric panels, at which several manufacturers are presently working according to the specifications of a team of engineers. In the second phase, the cages will be installed and the molded fabric panels will be delivered and positioned on the roof-platforms. With these preparations completed, the final phase can be undertaken in which the fabric is unfurled from above and secured with the ropes. The Reichstag will remain wrapped for about 14 days, after which the removal will start and all materials will be recycled.

The temporary work of art WRAPPED REICHSTAG will be entirely financed by the artists, as they have done for all their projects, through the sale of preparatory studies, drawings, collages, scale models, as well as early works and original lithographs. The artists do not accept sponsorship of any kind.

The WRAPPED REICHSTAG project represents not only 23 years of efforts in the lives of the artists, but also years of team work by its leading members Michael S. Cullen, Wolfgang and Sylvia Volz, Roland Specker, creating a dialogue with people from various walks of life.

Throughout the history of art the use of fabric has been a fascination for artists. From the most ancient times to the present, fabric, forming folds, pleats and draperies, is a significant part of paintings, frescoes, reliefs and scul ptures made of wood, stone and bronze. In the Judeo-Christian civilization, as in weddings and other ritual celebrations, veiling has a sacred and joyful message. The use of fabric on the Reichstag follows the classical tradition.

For a period of two weeks, the richness of the silvery fabric, shaped by the blue ropes, will create a sumptuous flow of vertical folds highlighting the features and proportions of the imposing structure, revealing the essence of the Reichstag.

Fabric, like clothing or skin, is fragile, the WRAPPED REICHSTAG will have the unique quality of impermanence. The physical reality of art will be a dramatic experience of great visual beauty.