[Mrluvaluva]

Artist Anish Kapoor has given a preview of his Olympic Orbit tower sculpture, but admitted the £15 ticket price was "a hell of a lot of money".





The twisting red steel tower - known as ArcelorMittal Orbit - was officially unveiled to the media on Friday.

Designed by Kapoor and structural designer Cecil Balmond, the Orbit is the tallest sculpture in the UK - twice the height of Nelson's Column.

It will be open to visitors to the Olympic Games and Olympic Park in July.

Turner Prize-winner Kapoor said he thought the sculpture was beautiful, but added: "I think it is awkward. It has its elbows sticking out. It refuses to be an emblem. It is unsettling."

Visitors will be able to go up the 35-storey structure in a lift, and have the option of walking down its spiralling staircase.

During the Games the ticket price will be £15 for adults and £7 for children.

Kapoor said: "£15 is a hell of a lot of money, frankly. This thing has to be paid for, and there are all sorts of equations, but there's a push to keep that cost as low as possible and make it as available as possible."

The £22.7m Orbit is due to become a full-time ticketed visitor attraction in Easter 2014 as part of the phased re-opening of the Olympic Park after the Games.

Andrew Altman, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, which is in charge of the Park's future, said a lower pricing system for 2014 was yet to be worked out.

At 114.5 metres (376ft), The Orbit gives panoramic views across London's skyline of up to 20 miles.

The helter-skelter-like sculpture took 18 months to build, with 60% of its 2,000 tonnes of steel coming from recycled sources.

"We wanted to make something that was kind of a deconstruction of the tower," Kapoor told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"Towers are almost always symmetrical," he continued, saying the Orbit's twisted loops were "the refusal of a singular image".

The Orbit has two observation floors, a 455-step spiral staircase, a lift and restaurant.

At ground level, visitors are greeted by a massive steel horn which hangs overhead.

The uppermost observation floor is flanked by two concave mirrors which disorientate the visitor before they get to see the skyline beyond.


Sky

Youtube video

£15 is a bit steep really just to go up in a lift. It's no London Eye and even that's grossly over priced.

[Patrick]

It's ugly.

[arista]

Yes watched it ITV London News
I will go up it, so long as its a day like today.

The cost of the Metal
and all
I think £15 is fair,

[Mrluvaluva]

I would rather use £15 to go to the dungeons. That would be more value for money.

[Marc]

Why would you even want to go up in that. LOL

[arista]

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva

I would rather use £15 to go to the dungeons. That would be more value for money.

But you take the Lift up there
What a view.
Thats High

[arista]

Originally Posted by Marc

Why would you even want to go up in that. LOL

To Photograph
the amazing view

[Mrluvaluva]

Don't get me wrong, I would like to go up it, but I think £15 is a lot. If a group of 4 went that's £60 just to see the view. Rather go and stand on top of Greenwich Hill for free.

[Novo]

Reasonable enough price

[arista]

Originally Posted by Novo

Reasonable enough price

Yes Wise Andy.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by arista

To Photograph
the amazing view

Once one person has done it we can all just access the view online

Living inThe City

[Mrluvaluva]

There you go.

[Kizzy]

What a hunk of junk...Looks like someone wrapped a rollercoaster round a helter skelter!

[arista]

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva

There you go.

You Cheat
get the other Side


Also thats only £15 will the Olympic Games are on.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by kizzy

What a hunk of junk...Looks like someone wrapped a rollercoaster round a helter skelter!

-gets straw mat-

[Mrluvaluva]

Apparently "it is being hailed as London's answer to the Eiffel tower". I believe it cost around 19.1M. Suppose they have to get their costs back somehow. I bet the price goes up in 2014 anyway.

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva

Apparently "it is being hailed as London's answer to the Eiffel tower". I believe it cost around 19.1M. Suppose they have to get their costs back somehow. I bet the price goes up in 2014 anyway.

THE *******?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!!!!11!?!! You're kidding me?!

What a waste of money.

[Kizzy]

Funny thing is if it WAS a helter skelter I would pay that....

[Marc]

Same, they need to make a practical use out of it. Like shoot fireworks from it or something or light it up every night or scrap it.

[Mrluvaluva]

Sort of reminds me of Anthony Gormley's Quantum Cloud that was erected for the opening of The Millennium Dome.



Not sure what the final cost of that was but for nearly 10 years it was left in a wasteland where hardly anybody went past it (unless on the river).

The gist of the story, not the actual structure...

[Doogle]

That looks like a bunch of crap thrown together. It doesn't even look safe.

[Kizzy]

Haha thats worse! ...lol

[Mrluvaluva]

It is sort of cool though. From a certain angle you can see the image of man.




Just in entirely the wrong place. Mind you, the dome was expected to be more of a success than it actually was. I don't know why? Well with insufficient transport links and putting it in the middle of a wasteland, it was to be expected really...

[Z]

Well, the Eiffel Tower was branded ugly when it was built, so I suppose we shouldn't write it off just yet... but this is a bit of a joke.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Mrluvaluva

It is sort of cool though. From a certain angle you can see the image or man.




Just in entirely the wrong place. Mind you, the dome was expected to be more of a success than it actually was. I don't know why? Well with insufficient transport links and putting it in the middle of a wasteland, it was to be expected really...

OMG I see a bloke with a chainsaw