The Bean

This giant shiny artwork in Chicago’s Millennium Park is officially called “Cloud Gate” but, as with most public art, everyone knows it by a much more obvious nickname - in this case “The bean“.

The work of British artist Anish Kapoor, the $23 million bean is constructed from solid stainless steel panels that reflect Chicago in all manner of warping shapes, making it a fantastic way to take brilliantly-bizarre self portraits.

The bean is a massive tourist attraction, and there are some 30,000 photos on Flickr, including a few I took when we visited Chicago in 2006.

Kapoor is also responsible for the Sky Mirror at Nottingham Playhouse. A similarly-shiny object, this time he built a concave mirror which directs light from above onto the courtyard.

Unfortunately it’s difficult to see from the aerial shot, but we can just see two sparks of reflection. You can see ground level pictures of the mirror on Flickr.