The Wall

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The Wall

1999

by Christo

Of course the wall does more than separate the space for the two exhibitions, it transforms the space through its size and color, (the latter indicating the massive task of assembling and installing the work) and makes a strong statement through the use of oil barrels. The political focus of the earlier oil barrel works (for example Wall of Oil Barrels, Iron Curtain, built in a street in Paris shortly after the rise of the Berlin Wall) carry over into this most recent undertaking. The dependency of most of the world on oil and its by-products leads to a rapid depletion of this natural resource, while oil spills pollute bodies of water and kill creatures that rely on the once clean water. Yes, this is common knowledge. But what can be done to remedy our dependence and destruction? Alternative strategies and technologies are available, but oil has become a measure of power between nations, making any cleaner, and possibly more efficient, options difficult or impossible. Witness the United State's involvement in the Persian Gulf War. Instead of using Iraq's stronghold on oil to promote optional means and methods (solar and wind energy, electric cars,...) to lessen a dependence on oil, the government used military force under a smokescreen of protecting American citizens in the Middle East. This naive over-simplification illustrates a paradox: that which sets us free also constrains us.