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Christo announces with delight.
Thats always part of it we like to see the places change so much thats reality.
As our boat approached the small sandy mass now dubbed Pelican Island, but back then simply called No.
You couldnt even walk; it was so dense.
Like almost every aspect of Miami in recent decades structurally, economically, culturally theyve undergone a transformation.
These islands are dark thickets in the gleaming bay.
Like happy little accidents populatingBob Rosss landscapes, theyre remnants of a dredging project in the 1920s.
Seeds of the invasive Australian pine found their way onto their man-made land and a haphazard ecosystem was formed.
Christo is 83 now, and Jeanne-Claude has been dead nine years.
Pale-green waves flashed platinum as the breeze whipped Christos hair into a mock-heroic mane.
As our boat circles No.
Christo pauses to indicate the rocky shore a few feet below the new pier, You see how abrasive!
We had to install a heavier pink fabric first so the rocks wouldnt tear the panels ribbons of pink.
Tommy Salleh, the marina manager for Miami-Dade county overseeing our visit chimed in: Some things never change.
We remove about ten cubic yards of trash every month.
I think it put the image into peoples heads of what Miami could be in the future.
What you see now with Art Basel was planted then.
My parents still have theirs.
It was truly a Wild West.
It gives you an idea, Christo reassures, in some ways its boring.
You cannot substitute the project.
But you learn how the project is done these details, the engineering, how the fabric was sewn.
Why dont we go eat something?
The camera cuts to them all at a table, Ruvin asks them to explain why this is art.
But they will do that here.
And there is a tenderness for such a fragile … Ruvin is listening.
He requests a sizable donation to the local government, which goes against the artists rules.
Just like that, the motion passes.
These conversations about their art, whether with German politicians or Sonoma ranchers, are never condescending.
From the films you see what gifted communicators they are.
He says, Our projects need to have human presence.
Pink is the color of Miami, the citys idea of itself that it sold to the world.
The artists had to experiment with how different shades of pink fabric would read from miles away.
Its about the specific light of the place.
I adore the wetness, the air; its full of water.
The exhibition has been hugely popular, with about 2,500 people showing up to the opening to meet Christo.
For this reason, the Surrounded Island archive, which this exhibition partly presents, should remain in Miami.
Back on the boat, we leave island No.8 for nearby islands No.
9-10 which were wrapped together, honoring a barely visible sandbar running between then.
This is total irrational freedom.
Theyre not justified by causes no moral issue.
Today, we are bombarded by the goodness of things.
These are inexplicable, capricious, worthless.
That is really the greatness of art.
I mentioned this to Christo, Yes, the daughter of a French general.
She was a very strong speaker, but she used a soft voice to manage things.
Without her particular gifts, the scale of these projects would be unthinkable.
Theyre the events of our life.
