Something red towers into the heavens near the 2012 Olympic Stadium. ArcelorMittal Orbit is a sculpture of grandiose scale – a collaboration between Anish Kapoor & Cecil Balmond. This spiraling vision of red appears as if it reaches  into the heavens. Kapoor was influenced by The Tower of Babel and the challenge of “building the impossible” that "has something mythic" about it. According to Kapoor, the intention is that visitors will engage in the sensation of 'winding into and spiralling upward' within lattice of steel.

The best description I've come across regarding Kapoor's work is from Chad Stuemke's site on Esoteric Research. He writes "Anish's mirror like portals give us the opportunity to experience reflections (sometimes personal, other times collective). His wormhole imagery gives our consciousness the chance to transcend time and space and achieve a state of contemplation. Where are we headed? What is on the other side? How do we get there? These are all questions we can reflect upon, and contemplate while in the presence of Kapoor's otherworldly sculptures."

Here's a slide show of some of my favorites from his previous work.

Contradictory to much of the futuristic expression created by Kapoor, there is a very basic and grounded element of red as a recurring theme in his work. Kapoor has alluded to the strength of the color coming from his cultural heritage. "I am Indian, and I'm proud of it. Indian life is mythologically rich and powerful. Red is a colour I've felt very strongly about. Maybe red is a very Indian colour, maybe it's one of those things that I grew up with and recognize at some other level."

You can see the entire portfolio on his minimalist website.