Image courtesy of Arcelormittal Orbit

Anish Kapoor’s Arcelormittal Orbit opens in East London

Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond, two contemporary masters of art and design,  wanted to create a sculpture that reflected the energy of the city, the looping structure of an orbit sculpture that fed back into itself perfectly embodying the dynamism they had in mind. Kapoor envisaged visitors embarking on a journey of light, from the cave-like structure of the basement up to the sunlight vistas of the platforms in the sky.

Image courtesy of Arcelormittal Orbit and Arup

Award winning London-based artist Anish Kapoor has been given the commission of a lifetime to design the spectacular new public attraction in the Olympic Park. The stunning artwork, to be entitled ‘The ArcelorMittal Orbit’, will ensure the Park remains an unrivalled visitor destination following the 2012 Games, providing the key Olympic legacy Mayor of London Boris Johnson envisaged for the East End.

Image courtesy of Arcelormittal Orbit and Arup

“The journey begins in ominous darkness, beneath an 80 tonne domed steel canopy. Then via the external lifts you come up towards the light. At the top there is a room with two huge concave mirrors, bringing the sky in, as if you are in the lens room of a telescope“, Anish Kapoor declared.

Image courtesy of Arcelormittal Orbit and Arup

Located in the Queen Elizabeth Park in east London, standing 114.5 metres tall – the tallest sculpture in the UK. The giant slide that spirals through the frame of the Anish Kapoor-designed ArcelorMittal Orbit opens to the public 25 may and on.

more. arcelormittalorbit.com