A tiny Italian island has been given a delicate bridge of ribbon

The necessarily sturdy and blunt architecture of bridges make them imposing structures, often reminding us more of the division between two land masses than their unification.

Artist Christo’s latest project, The Floating Piers, challenges this, however, seeing 100,000sqm of vibrant yellow fabric laid on Italy’s Lake Iseo.

Connecting Sulzano, Monte Isola and San Paolo and running on into the streets, the ribbon-like material looks as though it has been thrown around the island by a god and gently tethered to the mainland.

The Floating Piers aren’t merely a visual experience, however; they can be walked thanks to the 220,000 high-density polyethylene cubes holding them up and undulating with the movement of the water.

“Those who experience The Floating Piers will feel like they are walking on water – or perhaps the back of a whale,” commented Christo, who has been working on the stunt with hundreds of volunteers for many months. “The light and water will transform the bright yellow fabric to shades of red and gold throughout the sixteen days.”

Open until 3 July, the walkway is 3km long, 16m wide and just 35cm high, giving visitors the feeling of walking on water. It then extends for 2.5km into pedestrianised areas of Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio.

“Like all of our projects, The Floating Piers is absolutely free and accessible 24 hours a day, weather permitting,” Christo added. “There are no tickets, no openings, no reservations and no owners. The Floating Piers are an extension of the street and belong to everyone.”