Anish Kapoor puts art into his tower
Anish Kapoor has gone back to the drawing board to change the design of his ArcelorMittal Orbit tower for the Olympic Park.
The award-winning artist is fine-tuning his ideas for the 115metre-high sculpture as he prepares to submit designs to planners. The twisting, asymmetric structure is funded principally by steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who is giving £16million towards the £19.1million budget.
But Kapoor has now revised initial proposals for a 360 degree outdoor viewing platform at the top as he attempts to create a world-class artwork and not simply a tall building with nice views. The external space is being scaled back - although Kapoor insisted it would not reduce the number of people able to take in the spectacle from the top.
He said his big concern was to create "a work that encompasses more of life than it initially states". Kapoor said the plan was for visitors to enter under an entrance canopy that would be "dark and mysterious".
They will then begin to climb via the stairs or lifts to the two high-level platforms. "The form is winding and whizzing around as you go to the top," he said. "I hope people will have an experience that will make them want to come back."
