Lesson plan

Cloud Gate

Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor that is the centerpiece of Grainger Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its reflective and highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It measures , and weighs . The sculpture and its plaza are located above Millennium Hall, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline and clouds moving overhead. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate s high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (from Greek 'navel'), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and it is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties. The sculpture was the result of a design competition. After Kapoor's design was chosen, numerous technological concerns regarding the design's construction and assembly arose, in addition to concerns regarding the sculpture's upkeep and maintenance. Various experts were consulted, some of whom believed the design could not be implemented.…

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Article summary

Cloud Gate is a public sculpture by artist Anish Kapoor that is the centerpiece of Grainger Plaza at Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed "The Bean" because of its shape. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its reflective and highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It measures , and weighs . The sculpture and its plaza are located above Millennium Hall, between the Chase Promenade and McCormick Tribune Plaza & Ice Rink. Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury and the sculpture's surface reflects and distorts the city's skyline and clouds moving overhead. Visitors are able to walk around and under Cloud Gate s high arch. On the underside is the "omphalos" (from Greek 'navel'), a concave chamber that warps and multiplies reflections. The sculpture builds upon many of Kapoor's artistic themes, and it is popular with tourists as a photo-taking opportunity for its unique reflective properties. The sculpture was the result of a design competition. After Kapoor's design was chosen, numerous technological concerns regarding the design's construction and assembly arose, in addition to concerns regarding the sculpture's upkeep and maintenance. Various experts were consulted, some of whom believed the design could not be implemented.…

Key claims

  1. release date: 2014 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the release date is "2014". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  4. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1376246684

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.