By Jeffrey Frankel ’13, “Arts & Entertainment” Editor

TASCHEN Books recently published Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Mastaba. Project for Abu Dhabi. The book raises questions: Who are Christo and Jeanne-Claude? Where is Abu Dhabi? And what in the world is a “mastaba”? As Pegeen Galvin, the Dean of Students and AP Art History teacher at Newark Academy, begins the school year with an introduction to architectural forms from locations such as Mesopotamia and Egypt, she makes mention of Christo Yavacheff and Jeanne-Claude, a married couple of environmental artists whose large-scale, public works are world renowned. Jeanne-Claude passed away in late 2009, but their current project “The Mastaba” is in its thirty-sixth year of planning as Christo continues their vision solo.

“The Mastaba” takes its name from the ancient Egyptian structure of trapezoidal tombs. Set to be built approximately one hundred sixty miles south of Abu Dhabi, located in the United Arab Emirates, the project will be the largest of the couple’s works and their first permanent one. Previous installations of theirs include “Wrapped Coast” in Australia (1968-1969), “The Umbrellas” in Japan and the United States (1984-1991), “Wrapped Reichstag” in Germany (1971-1995), and “The Gates” in Central Park in New York City (1979-2005). These year ranges do not exclusively cover the period the art was erected; in fact, the Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s pieces are extremely ephemeral and fleeting compared to the time the artists take to actually figure out the construction. For example, “The Gates” was only open from February 12 to February 27 of 2005.

This planning period is dubbed the “software period”. During this time, the artists and others working on the project conceive and prepare; after thirty-six years, “The Mastaba” still only exists in Christo’s imagination. Art is created during the software period, however, as sketches by artists, engineers, and architects are made public and sold to fund the project. It is estimated that “The Mastaba” will require around four hundred million dollars of funding. When I asked Teddy Simpson ’13, an AP Art History student, about his reaction to the projected cost of this installation, he explained, “Personally, I think there are much more pressing matters in our world that need financial attention than a well-constructed mastaba of oil cans.” Four hundred million dollars does seem preposterously high, although Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s other projects including “The Mastaba”, are completely self-perpetuating; the money made by selling drawings from the planning stage to the public, which TASCHEN’s book chronicles, is what drives the process from software to the next phase: the “hardware period”.

The artists have described the hardware period as the physical construction of their works. “The Mastaba” is close to crossing the threshold into this phase, as Christo hopes to finish planning in 2014. Once constructed, this project will be vastly different from any other public artwork or installation in the couple’s history. Its dimensions—one hundred fifty meters high, two hundred

twenty-five meters deep, and three hundred meters wide—and permanence will significantly impact the surrounding area of Abu Dhabi, as it will be constructed of four hundred ten thousand multi-colored oil cans. As Abu Dhabi holds nine percent of the world’s oil proven oil reserves, the material of the mastaba holds magnificent economic importance to its people, half of whom will not be able to look out their windows without admiring Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s creation.

The significance in “The Mastaba” may only be in its shock value, as Christo and Jeanne-Claude have persistently denied that their works have any meaning deeper than aesthetic impact. Simpson further explained about the project, “My instinct is to say that the project is wasteful and pointless, but then one could argue that about other famous monuments that have no apparent purpose.” He cited the Eiffel Tower as another invaluably iconic structure with no specific intention. Ms. Galvin explained her excitement about the scale and permanence of the exhibit as “incredibly democratic.” She continued, “It’s not just for aristocratic-type people, and it’s not just for the elite who can afford it. However, as soon as it is made, it is for everyone’s enjoyment and experience. It’s very different from other art.”

The book Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Mastaba. Project for Abu Dhabi unriddles the process of creating this project in one hundred seventy-six pages of interesting photographs, detailed sketches, and compelling stories.