Artist Christo’s ‘floating piers’ on Italy’s Lake Iseo is the most incredible installation you'll see this year

The Bulgarian-born artist has constructed a vibrant floating walkway that connects two islands in the lake to the mainland
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Liz Connor20 June 2016

Ever wanted to walk on water? Well now visitors to a new exhibition in northern Italy will be able to give the impossible feat a go.

Thousands of people have flocked to try out conceptual artist Christo’s latest artwork - three kilometres of yellow-coloured pathways temporarily connecting the shore of Italy’s Lake Iseo to islands at its centre.

"The Floating Piers", which opened this weekend, are made from more than 200,000 interlocking cubes wrapped in a yellow nylon fabric which changes colour from red to gold in response to shifting light and humidity levels.

Christo, the artist who is famous for wrapping the Reichstag in silver fabric, has warned visitors that the experience will be like walking walking on water - or the back of a whale.

“It’s really a physical thing, you need to be there, walking it, on the streets, here,” said Christo, who opened the saffron-coloured floating walkways this weekend, the New York Times reported.

The installation has taken 8 months to complete, with work beginning in November to anchor each cube to concrete slabs on the floor of the lake.

The project is free to visit, and is funded entirely by the sale of Christo's original works of art. It will stretch across the lake for 16 days during June 2016.

Half a million people are expected to visit the installation this month, and after the 16-day run, all of the components of the temporary piers will be removed and industrially recycled.

Click on the image above to see pictures of Christo’s floating piers.

For more details visit the project website here.

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