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CVolfgan g Vol z / Chr is to and Jeanne

On 18 September 2021, Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s public artwork L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, 1961–2021 was unveiled in Paris. Over 16 days, the Place de l’Étoile was closed to traffic, allowing six million people to visit the L’Arc de Triomphe and see this work of art. Two years later, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Foundation are now collaborating with Parley for the Oceans, a global environmental organisation (whose primary focus is on reducing plastic in the ocean), for the final phase of this project – repurposing the materials to make shade structures and tents for the 2024 Olympics and Paralympic Games, to be held in Paris this summer. “A constant commitment of Christo and Jeanne-Claude was to reuse, upcycle, and recycle all materials used in their projects,” said Vladimir Yavachev, project director of L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped. All of the

Image: Christo Arc de Triomphe.

materials used to create public artwork are being reused. The 25,000 square meters of silvery blue polypropylene fabric and 3,000 m of red polypropylene rope have been processed by Parley for the Oceans and are being redesigned to create the tents and shade structures. While the non-textile materials, the wood and steel that were used for the project’s substructures, have already been repurposed by Les Charpentiers de Paris, Arcelor Mittal, and Derichebourg Environnement for projects in Paris or will be recycled by the supplier. Adapting to the challenges of rising temperatures, the tent structures are designed to protect human life against the dangerous heat waves that Paris now experiences in the summer months. “This is a very fine example of the art world’s ability to adapt to climate challenges,” Yavachev says. christojeanneclaude.net/parley.tv/