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. 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 legume-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 (99.8 t; 98.2 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, a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, although many tourists simply view the sculpture and its unique reflective properties as a photo-taking opportunity.
Read the rest of this article: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Gate> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 474: As the seven-year old Leo II was deemed too young to rule, his father Zeno was crowned as the co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_%28emperor%29> 1825: After no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes, the United States House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams President of the United States. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election%2C_1824> 1895: William G. Morgan, a YMCA physical education director in Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA, invented a game called Mintonette, which evolved into volleyball . <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/volleyball> 1920: The Spitsbergen Treaty was signed, recognizing Norwegian sovereignty over the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, but all signatories were also given equal rights to engage in commercial activities on the islands. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitsbergen_Treaty> 1943: World War II: Allied forces declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the Guadalcanal Campaign as a significant strategic victory for Allied forces fighting Japan in the Pacific War. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: disquietude (n): 1. A state of disquiet, uneasiness, or anxiety. 2. A fear or an instance of uneasiness <http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disquietude> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: I have seen the truth; I have seen and I know that people can be beautiful and happy without losing the power of living on earth. I will not and cannot believe that evil is the normal condition of mankind. And it is just this faith of mine that they laugh at. But how can I help believing it? I have seen the truth — it is not as though I had invented it with my mind, I have seen it, seen it, and the living image of it has filled my soul for ever. --Fyodor Dostoevsky <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoevsky> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact [email protected]
