如果你現在去巴黎，你會發現凱旋門變了，它穿上了一件閃閃發光的銀藍色“外套”，還繫上了“紅腰繩”。這是已故藝術家克里斯托和珍妮-克勞德的設計，他們60年前的瘋狂夢想終於變成了現實。
After three months of construction work at Paris" famed Arc de Triomphe, the 160-foot-tall war monument has been completely concealed. The landmark, built during Napoleon"s reign, has been outfitted in 270,000 square feet of silver-blue polypropylene fabric bound with red ropes.
施工了三個月後，巴黎名勝古蹟凱旋門被完全包裹了起來，用掉了27萬平方英尺的銀藍色聚丙烯布料並用紅繩固定。凱旋門高160英尺（49米），是建於拿破崙統治時期的地標性建築。
Encasing the Arc de Triomphe in cloth was a longstanding vision of the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude -- one that finally came into focus this summer. It began with 400 tons of steel beams erected like a metal jacket around the structure, followed by the wrapping, which was conducted by a team of climbers over the course of a few days. Following the project"s completion on Thursday, the arch will remain transformed for just 16 days.
給凱旋門“穿上衣服”是已故藝術家克里斯托和珍妮-克勞德的多年願景，今夏終於付諸實踐。400噸重的鋼樑像一件金屬夾克一樣矗立在建築周圍，並由一個攀爬隊在幾天內將其包裹起來。本週四（9月16日）該項目完工後，這一新貌只能保持16天。
The unveiling of the installation, officially titled "L"Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped," comes 60 years after Christo first became enthralled with the idea of wrapping the monument, more than a decade after Jeanne-Claude"s death and over a year since Christo passed away last May. Originally scheduled for spring 2020, the project was first delayed out of concern for nesting kestrel falcons in the arch, and then because of the ongoing pandemic.
60年前，克里斯托就萌生了“被包裹的凱旋門”項目的念頭。直到珍妮-克勞德去世十多年，克里斯托去世一年多（去年五月去世）以後，這一執念才終於成真。這一項目原定在2020年春季動工，先是出於擔心在凱旋門上築巢的紅隼鷹而被耽擱，而後又因為疫情而拖延。
Vladimir Yavachev, Christo"s nephew and the project"s director of operations who worked with the artist for 30 years, explained that the shimmering color of the fabric and vivid ropes are Christo"s "poetic interpretation" of the blue, white and red of the French flag.
這一項目的運營總監、克里斯托的侄子弗拉基米爾·亞瓦切夫解釋道，閃閃發光的布料和鮮豔的繩子是克里斯托對法國藍白紅國旗的“詩意解讀”。亞瓦切夫和叔叔克里斯托共事長達30年。
"He liked colors that also change with the weather, or the time of day," Yavachev said in a video interview, adding: "The fabric is very reminiscent of Paris rooftops... which are very silvery gray."
亞瓦切夫在一次視頻採訪中説道：“他喜歡能隨着天氣和時間而變化的顏色。這種布料讓人想起巴黎的屋頂……那種銀灰色。”
The married artists became internationally renowned for ambitious projects like "The Pont Neuf Wrapped," revealed in 1985, and "Wrapped Reichstag" in Berlin 10 years later.
這對藝術家夫婦憑藉1985年面世的“被包裹的巴黎新橋”和10年後在柏林落成的“被包裹的德國國會大廈”等頗具膽識的項目而享譽國際。
Christo said the only project he would consider in Paris was wrapping the Arc. In an interview with CNN just before his death, however, he confided that he "never believed" they would receive permission.
克里斯托説過，他想在巴黎做的唯一一個項目就是包裹凱旋門。不過在他去世前接受美國有線電視新聞網採訪時，他透露説自己“從來不相信”他們會同意。
"I am an artist who is totally irrational, totally irresponsible, completely free," Christo said. "Nobody needs my projects," he added. "The world can live without these projects. But I need them and my friends (do)."
克里斯托説：“我是一個完全沒有理性、完全不負責任、完全自由的藝術家。沒有人需要我的項目。這個世界沒有這些項目也能運轉下去。但是我需要它們，我的朋友們也需要。”
Anne Burghartz, an engineer on the project, said her team"s first task was to interpret the final form that Christo wanted. "In his drawings, you can see the shape is not 100% the Arc de Triomphe," she said in a video interview. "It"s very boxy, it has vertical lines, whereas the Arc de Triomphe at the cornices, for example, is very pointy-shaped."
這一項目的工程師安妮·伯格哈茨説，她的團隊的首要任務是解讀克里斯托想要的最終形態。她在視頻採訪中説道：“在他的圖紙中，你可以看見他設計的形狀和凱旋門並不是百分百貼合。他想要的形狀是方方正正，橫平豎直，而凱旋門的飛檐翹角就很尖。”
They also had to determine how to keep the wind from dragging the fabric, while keeping it pliable to the elements. "(Christo) was also very fond of how he imagined the fabric would come alive with the wind," she said.
他們還要想出怎樣做才能讓風不要拉扯布料，同時又能柔軟靈動。她説：“克里斯托很喜歡想象布料隨風飄動的樣子。”
But, most importantly, Burghartz"s team had to protect the monument and all of its ornamentation, from the sculpted figures flanking each side of the entrance to the intricate cornices. Though the engineers had permission to drill some holes in the landmark they had to minimize damage. So, they installed wood panels between the steel and the arch"s concrete to protect it from scratches and built frameworks around its sculptures to keep them safe.
但最重要的是，伯格哈茨的團隊必須保護凱旋門和所有的浮雕，從拱門兩側的雕像到精巧的飛檐。儘管工程師被准許在凱旋門上鑽一些洞，但是他們必須將損害最小化。因此，他們在鋼樑和拱門主體之間安裝了木頭防護板，保護拱門表面不被刮壞，還把浮雕用木框保護起來。
In total, the project cost around 14 million euros. But like all of Christo and Jeanne-Claude"s projects, the "L"Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped" will, according to a spokesperson for the project, be entirely funded through the sale of preparatory drawings and other original artworks. Sotheby"s Paris is hosting an exhibition and private sale featuring 25 of the artworks, with proceed going towards the project and the artists" foundation.
這一項目總計花費了1400萬歐元（約合人民幣1億元）。但是該項目的發言人稱，同克里斯托和珍妮-克勞德做過的所有項目一樣，“被包裹的凱旋門”所用資金將全部來自出售他們的圖紙和其他原創藝術品所得。巴黎蘇富比拍賣行正在舉辦一場展覽兼私人拍賣會，其中包括25件藝術品，拍賣所得將歸這一項目和兩位藝術家的基金會所有。
英文來源：美國有線電視新聞網
翻譯&編輯：丹妮