Cloud Gate
Chicago
Cloud Gate is the mirror-like steel sculpture in Millennium Park, unveiled in 2004. It has become one of the most photographed symbols of the city.
A 100-tonne drop
The sculpture is 20 meters long, 10 meters high and weighs about 100 tonnes. Its outer skin is made of large plates of stainless steel. They were cut by precise machines, welded and then polished by hand until the lines disappeared. The work was long and harder than expected.
A skeleton like a bridge
Inside there is a frame of metal rings and beams, similar to the frame of a bridge. The weight rests on just two support points. This leaves a big curved space underneath, where you can walk through. Under its belly there is a deep hollow: looking up, you see yourselves multiplied many times.
A gate for the clouds
The sky, the clouds and the skyscrapers around the park are mirrored on its surface. That's why the artist called it Cloud Gate. The curved part underneath is like an entrance to the park. Every hour of the day the sculpture changes color: gray in bad weather, blue on clear days, golden at sunset.
A park above the tracks
Millennium Park was built over railway tracks and parking garages, and it opened in 2004. Around it are lawns, an open-air stage for concerts and two fountain towers showing people's faces.
