Psychedelic fun in a Chrome Cloud

I couldn’t resist taking some trippy video in downtown Chicago. Specifically, reflections and distortions in a mesmerizing sculpture known as “Cloud Gate”. I’m wearing a white hat and orange pants - so as the video plays - see if you can spot the various places I’m shooting video from. Where’s orange-pants!
AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop area of Chicago is the site of Cloud Gate — an hypnotic metal sculpture that reflects and distorts the famous Chicago skyline in a very unique manner.

Cloud Gate’s creator, British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, was inspired by liquid mercury. He originally designed it for a competition, which he won. Then came the construction, which turned out to entail many technological challenges, and various experts even stated that it would be impossible to build! A method was worked out, of course, but took much longer to implement than originally estimated. It was finally formally dedicated in 2006. Estimated cost was $6 million. $11.5 million had gone into it by 2004. Final cost? $23 million.

The sculpture is nicknamed “The Bean” because of its shape, and while Kapoor initially disliked that name, it later grew on him. Consisting of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, The Bean’s highly polished exterior has no visible seams. Visitors are able to walk around and under the gleaming 12-foot-high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (Greek for "navel"), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture is very popular as a “selfie” opportunity, and has gained considerable popularity among domestic and international tourists alike.
Chicago art critic Edward Lifson called Cloud Gate one of the greatest pieces of public art in the world. TIME named Millennium Park one of the ten best architectural achievements of 2004 and recognized Cloud Gate as one of its major attractions. And it has received many awards, including The American Welding Society’s Extraordinary Welding Award.