Quantum Cloud facts for kids
The Quantum Cloud is a huge, modern sculpture created by the artist Antony Gormley. You can find it right next to The O2 in London. This amazing artwork was specially made for this spot and was finished in 1999.
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Discovering the Quantum Cloud Sculpture
This impressive sculpture stands about 30 meters (nearly 100 feet) tall! That makes it the tallest sculpture Gormley has ever made, even taller than his famous Angel of the North.
How it's Built
Quantum Cloud is made from many small, connected shapes called tetrahedrons. Each part is built from 1.5-meter-long pieces of steel. Imagine a computer program that started with a giant outline of Gormley's own body. Then, it used a special "random walk" method to arrange all the steel pieces around it. This creates a kind of cloudy shape with a faint outline of a person in the middle.
The Idea Behind the Art
Antony Gormley got the idea for Quantum Cloud from a quantum physicist named Basil Hiley. Hiley had some interesting thoughts about "pre-space," which is a complex idea about what might exist before space and time. He also said, "algebra is the relationship of relationships." This deep conversation between Gormley, Hiley, and writer David Peat at a meeting in 1999 sparked the inspiration for the sculpture.
Who Helped Build It
Many talented people helped bring Quantum Cloud to life. The overall structure was designed by Elliott Wood Partnership. The strong base was designed by Beckett Rankine. And the actual building of the steel parts was done by Tubeworkers (Structures) Ltd.
Part of a Sculpture Trail
Quantum Cloud is also a part of The Line. This is a cool series of public sculptures that follow the Greenwich Meridian through different parts of London. It connects the boroughs of Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, and Newham. On August 5, 2020, two more sculptures, Gary Hume’s Liberty Grip and Thomas J. Price's Reaching Out, joined The Line at Three Mills Green in Stratford.
