Nov 3, 2010

Cloud Gate at Sunrise, Chicago


icky cloudy morning. i was hoping for a brilliant sunrise- i mean, i should have been rewarded for getting up at 5 in the morning, taking the el to downtown chicago in rush hour just to take a photo without tourists, right? not so. i was given clouds and cold fingers, blah

and, i also was surprised to stumble across this secret world of morning photographers. I met a very nice woman who was also shooting the bean and this other man who kept walking in my shots. (grumble) I feel like i am now part this underground group of photographers who wake up wayyyy to early and photograph the world without silly people walking in and out of pictures. I must keep my eyes open for fellow members during my next travels. :]

Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza in Millennium Park within the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The sculpture and AT&T Plaza are located on top of Park Grill, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its bean-like shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 feet by 66 feet by 42 feet (10 m × 20 m × 13 m), and weighs 110 short tons (100 t; 98 long tons).

Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate's 12-foot (3.7 m) high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties.


Source: Wikipedia
Photo: Kara Allyson

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