THE LENGTH: Gates cover 23 miles of Central Park pedestrian paths, at 12-foot intervals. “It’s the art world version of the New York marathon,” Christo said. The actual marathon is 26 miles.
THE HARDWARE: 165,000 bolts and an equal number of self-locking nuts, to hold the gates together.
FABRIC HEMS: 46 miles.
STEEL FOR GATE BASES: 5,290 tons for 15,000 bases – the equivalent of two-thirds of the steel in the Eiffel Tower.
‘THE GATES’ MANUFACTURING SITES: Two German companies for the weaving and sewing of fabric; six U.S. companies for the gates.
FABRIC: 1,067 million square feet of rip-stop nylon.
BASIC ASSEMBLY: A rented, 25,000-square-foot plant in Queens, N.Y., plus an 8,000-square-foot storage space.
ASSEMBLY IN PARK: About 600 non-skilled, paid workers, in teams of 8.
CHRISTO’S BIRTHPLACE: Gabovo, Bulgaria.
JEANNE-CLAUDE’S BIRTHPLACE: Casablanca, Morocco.
THEIR SHARED BIRTHDAY: June 13, 1935.
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