Artist’s beautiful ‘walk on water’ project suffers closures following classic case of ‘too many humans’

Idyllic creation became 'hellish' when 70,000 people turned up

It was a lovely idea - a bridge over an Italian lake made of ribbon-like material that one could walk over to reach a tiny, idyllic island.

But artist Christo’s latest project, The Floating Piers, was too tantalising for its own good, drawing such immense crowds that there have been reports of overcrowding, dehydration and damage to the material.

The installation, free to experience, was designed to be open 24 hours, but will now be closed at night by order of the local mayor.

“Due to the unprecedented interest in The Floating Piers, the Mayor of Monte Isola has asked that the work of art close each night to support maintenance efforts on the island,” organisers wrote on Instagram.

Before all the press coverage:

After:

“Access to the piers will end at 22:00 (to allow all visitors to exit by 24:00) and reopen in the morning at 6:00. This schedule will begin tonight until further notice. We are grateful for everyone's understanding and ability to embrace every aspect of The Floating Piers experience, including the journey.”

While the network of floating bridges, which stretch into the town, looked blissful in the initial photos, they were apparently “hellish” when 70,000 people turned up on Monday.

“Those who experience The Floating Piers will feel like they are walking on water – or perhaps the back of a whale,” Christo originally said of his hopes for the project.