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'Cloud Gate,' a monumental sculpture designed by the celebrated British artist, Anish Kapoor, is Chicago's latest public installation. It is a major feature of Millennium Park, a glorious 24.5 acre park which opened yesterday, July 16. Located in downtown Chicago on Michigan Avenue between Randolph and Monroe Streets, the park is an unprecedented center for world-class art, music, architecture and landscape design, where you can experience everything from interactive public art and ice skating to al fresco dining and free classical music presentations by the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus. Among the park’s prominent features is the dazzling Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States, designed by Frank Gehry, one of the world’s greatest living architects.

Kapoor's sculpture which he named 'Cloud Gate' only after was fully assembled 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. Visitors will be able to fully experience the majestic nature of the work by literally walking through and around, as it was designed for public interaction. Inspired by liquid mercury, the sculpture is among the largest in the world, measuring 66-feet long by 33-feet high and weighing 110 tons.

I forgot to add: The sculpture is still unfinished and was just uncovered for the opening of the park this weekend. After a week, it will be put under a canopy again to complete the finishing (to make the surface more seamless). As far as people are concerned, the sculpture is already finished. It is really quite an experience touching it, going under it, taking pictures of your own reflection.

Added October 26: The sculpture has proven to be so popular that they decided to postpone the completion after Christmas. So in January, the sculpture will be covered by a canopy so they can polish the seams. Thanks for your interest!