Cloud Column, Contemporary sculpture at Glassell School of Art, Houston, United States
Cloud Column is a stainless steel sculpture located on the Brown Foundation Plaza at the Glassell School of Art in Houston. The towering form features a concave front surface that reflects its surroundings like a mirror, changing appearance throughout the day.
The sculpture was conceived in 1998 and took eight years to complete under the direction of artist Anish Kapoor, who oversaw its creation in England. The finished work was installed at its current location in 2018.
The reflective surface creates a visual conversation between the artwork and its surrounding buildings. People naturally gather on the plaza, drawn to the way the structure frames their interactions with the space.
The sculpture is freely accessible year-round on the plaza with no admission required. Visitors can observe how changing light and weather conditions continuously transform the reflective surface throughout their visit.
The installation required specialized equipment and extensive manual work to achieve its mirror-like finish, with the steel surface needing hours of careful hand-polishing. This labor-intensive creation makes each reflection part of a remarkable technical achievement.
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