Wrapped Coast - by Christo and Jeanne-Claude 1969

In October 1969, New York artist Christo arrived in Sydney to wrap Little Bay (about 10 kilometres south of Bondi). The project attracted a lot of comment, much of it critical and mocking . His team of workers included art students and rock climbers. A group of thugs arrived and ridiculed the workers, and a scuffle broke out. Opinions varied from that of the Sydney Morning Herald’s JAC Dunn who said “The more you look at the rippling acres of polyweave enveloping the rocks….the more you get the Christmas feeling: ‘What’s underneath?” to the tabloid Daily Telegraph which asked “Who called the fire brigade?”
(From James Cockington, History Happened Here : strange but true stories from Australian suburbia.)

Having moved to Sydney the year before, but only being 11 years old, I have a vague memory of all this occurring, and would love to have seen it, but alas I didn't . . . all I can remembr are some black and white TV news images.
Pictures of Wrapped Coast

Christo's other projects included wrapping The Reichstag in 1995, and the Pont Neuf in 1985.