Quantum Cloud

Antony Gormley's "Quantum Cloud" was commissioned for a site next to the Millennium Dome in London. At 30 metres high, it is Gormley's tallest sculpture to date (taller than the "Angel of the North"). It is constructed from a collection of tetrahedral units made from 1.5m long sections of steel. The steel sections were arranged using a computer model with a random walk algorithm starting from points on the surface of an enlarged figure based on Gormley's body that forms a residual outline at the centre of the sculpture.

The sculpture was completed in 1999 in time for the opening of the Millennium Dome.

The idea for "Quantum Cloud" came from a comment about algebra made by Basil Hiley, quantum physicist (and long-time colleague of David Bohm), in which he said that "algebra is the relationship of relationships". The comment was made during a conversation between Gormley, Hiley and writer David Peat at a 1999 London gathering of artists and scientists, organized by Peat.

External links

* [http://www.antonygormley.co.uk Quantum Cloud by Antony Gormley] visit www.antonygormley.co.uk for more art work by Antony Gormley.
* [http://www.lusas.com/gormley/ Design study] from LUSAS software including finite element analysis of the sculptures structure and site construction photographs.
* [http://www.elliottwood.co.uk/projects/project.php?id=4 Project description and photographs] by Elliot Wood, the structural engineering firm that assisted with the design and construction of the structure.
* [http://www.fdavidpeat.com/interviews/gormley.htm Interview with Antony Gormley]