Cloud Gate, Millenium Park, Chicago, IL

[Avalonjr]

I just got back from a trip downtown Chicago and was reminded once again of a spectacular example of metal shaping right in the heart of the city. I thought you guys might enjoy hearing about this...

The city created a new park downtown, just North of Grant Park and West of Monroe Harbor. They built a huge underground parking garage and placed an entertainment complex on top of it consisting of botanical gardens, outdoor ampitheater, indoor stages, and open air installations of art. Plus a lot of open space for just hanging out. It is now my favorite destination downtown.

The stainless steel sculpture in the center of this park is officially called "Cloud Gate", but if you're asking for directions, and Cloud Gate doesn't get a response try calling it the "Bean". It is a structure which is hard to describe. Ovid in shape on the outside. Smooth and highly polished, the compound curves reflect like a mirror from where ever you are standing. You see the clouds and skyline reflected from the top and the people reflected across the bottom. When it isn't being worked on, you can stand underneath, where the shape curves in and up to form a huge dome. The interesting shape reflects like a fun house mirror, making the interior expansive.

The sculpture consists of 168 panels of sheet metal that have been cut, curved and polished. When I first saw it, the construction crews had just finished tack welding the panels together. Although the panels were polished, you could see the edge of each plate and the small welds.

Now the entire outside is completely welded and polished. They did an outstanding job. The quality of the finish is nearly perfect. They are still welding, grinding and polishing on the underside.

I understand that the company which designed it for the artist is located in California. They trained a local company in the art of finishing the seams. Since this was a multiyear project, and good for politics, the final phase is in the hands of local craftsmen.

I'd love to have a chance to talk to this company.... it would be interesting to find out how they controlled shrinkage along these weld seams. It would seem difficult to planish the welds on a structure this size. They obviously have the process figured out, since the reflections are practically flawless.

The differential growing and shrinking that this structure is subjected to from solar heating must also be considerable.

Sorry that this is getting long. The park has many examples of architectural applications of shaped metal. It is all done in stainless steel and is very interesting.

Here's the official blurb from their website:



Cloud Gate on the SBC Plaza

Cloud Gate is British artist Anish Kapoor's first public outdoor work installed in the United States. The 110-ton elliptical sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly polished stainless steel plates, which reflect the city's famous skyline and the clouds above. A 12-foot-high arch provides a "gate" to the concave chamber beneath the sculpture, inviting visitors to touch its mirror-like surface and see their image reflected back from a variety of perspectives.

Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest of its kind in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high. The final stage of work on Cloud Gate has now begun. During this phase, workers will grind and polish the seams inside the “omphalos,” the sculpture’s 27-foot high underbelly.

What I wanted to do in Millennium Park is make something that would engage the Chicago skyline?so that one will see the clouds kind of floating in, with those very tall buildings reflected in the work. And then, since it is in the form of a gate, the participant, the viewer, will be able to enter into this very deep chamber that does, in a way, the same thing to one's reflection as the exterior of the piece is doing to the reflection of the city around.
-Anish Kapoor

http://www.millenniumpark.org/artand...loud_gate.html

[Steve Hamilton]

Thanks John

I'm sure others will also enjoy seeing your post. I'll bet there are a few dollars and a whole lot of man hours involved it the build process.

Steve Hamilton

[Kerry Pinkerton]

Neat! Wonder how the did the shape?

[Wray Schelin]

Hi John,

Thanks for sharing your experince of seeing Cloud Gate.

Wow, that is very cool, looks like an alien space ship landed in the center of the city.

I did some research and found that it was made by
Performance Structures in California.

http://www.performancestructures.com/

and assmbled by the Chicago company MTH Industries.

About the sculpture this is said:

"The 110-ton Cloud Gate sculpture is forged of a seamless series of highly-polished stainless steel "plates" that create an elliptically-arched, highly-reflective work with Chicago's skyline and Millennium Park itself as a dramatic backdrop".

I'm assuming that there is a massive inner structure that the plates are first bonded to and then the seams are welded with a light surface weld to minimize heat distortion. I'm also assuming that the welds are not structural, the inner structure provides the strength needed.

They used the words forged stainless steel plates. I'm guessing they started with highly polished sheets and then stretch formed them in a hydroforming press or a stretching press like used in aircraft manufacture.

To move the stainless the presses had to be humongous, especially if the "plates" were 1/8" thick or thicker. With the structure coming in at 110 tons that is one massive sculpture.

It would be great to get more build details.

[Avalonjr]

I fired off an email to Performance Structures asking if they had any additional information. I'll post it here if I can. The Millenium Park web site has some macromedia construction videos... I'm thinking that somebody might have made a video of the building of the sculpture.

[ralph]

Here is a link to some live cams of the area. In one is the new Frank Gerhy band shell, also a huge metal sculpture.
Chicago Web Cams
When I look at the projects Chicago has to make their downtown attractive it makes me think about their 8 % sales tax. Seriously though, downtown Chicago is the only big city I love to visit. Great galleries, stores, public facilities, transportation, etc,etc,etc. I was first introduced when I was 14 (1957) and on a train layover going west. I chanced on the original Abercrombie & Fitch store when they were real African Outfitters . The salesman noticed me drooling over the double rifles on display, came over, treated me like a real customer and let me handle about a dozen of them. Sure made my day.

I went back from time to time over the years on business and for pleasure. In 1993 my son started at the Chicago Art Institute and we began visiting more often. It is a constantly changing city with great people. Areas away from the city are tightly woven urban neighborhoods.

Excuse me for gushing, but I love that city.

[Avalonjr]

Ralph,

I always enjoy going downtown Chicago. I especially enjoy the museum campus where you can visit the Field History Museum, the Planetarium and Aquarium without crossing streets. I'm disappointed that they closed down Meigs field since I always enjoyed watching the aircraft coming into the airport. They'd make their approaches directly over the harbor and pass close to the planetarium.

The Mayor made some bold moves rerouting Lake Shore Drive, revamping Navy Pier and then constructing Millenium Park. It cost a bundle, but the results are stunning. I'd be proud to pay only 8% tax in Chicago. It has gone higher and several special taxes are in effect for entertainment, restaurants, smoking etc, but I guess the money has to come from somewhere to pay for these improvements... If it keeps the trade shows and tourists coming, we all benefit.

[ralph]

Originally Posted by Avalonjr

Ralph,

I'm disappointed that they closed down Meigs field since I always enjoyed watching the aircraft coming into the airport.

It gets worse than that. Marshall, Fields is being renamed to Macy's to reflect the new ownership and my all time favorite German Restaurant The Berghoff is closing the doors after 100+ years and 3 generations. The daughter of the current owner is pusuing expansion of her @#$#%&$$ catering business. Personally I think Daly should jail the daughter til she comes to her senses. Several of my boys have already sent her e-mails objecting. I'm trying to figure out how to get there for one last DAY of eating before they close for good Feb. 28th. I'll start in the bar at 11 and finish in the dining room that night. Actually it's probably all booked.

A bit off topic, but I'm upset.

[Avalonjr]

Ralph,

Now you have me upset.

If you have room at your table, I'll join you.

Or better, lets have a Metalmeet "meet n eat" and invite everyone here to pick a night before they close and do some "hangar flying" at a fine old restaurant. They have the best beer and sauerkraut in town. It would be good to enjoy some prime dining and friendship there once more before they fade into history.

Anybody up for it?