Crown Fountain at Millennium Park

Driving through the downtown in the city of Chicago, just near the millennium Park, I came across this strange pair of rectangular buildings, facing each other, separated by the pool of ankle deep water, the children waded through the water from one building to another. This is one of the most interesting interactive art pieces in Chicago. Made of 10,000 glass bricks, it rises over 50 feet and is designed by Jaume Plensa.

The interesting part of this building is that water pours down the towers glass block exterior in a cascade on three sides. I was attracted to the fourth side that featured banks of red, green and blue LEDs, which when I viewed from car window from far, it gave the illusion of projected video.

This is also called Spitting Fountain. I was told, that during daylight hours, the faces of one thousand people are displayed on the towers one at the time. Each persists for 13 minutes.

The expression of the face changed over the 13 minutes, first a serious expression, then the parting of the lips, a smile, and during the final minute, the lips round up and eject a spout of water from their mouths. some of the people went crazy during the waterspout and danced under the water spray, till they were completely drenched.

After 13 minutes, a cascade of water falls over the faces, and a new one is revealed. These faces were selected and filmed by students from the Art Institute of Chicago. They were not told that they would be part of a fountain. Instead, they were instructed to act as if they were blowing a kiss.

But it creates lot of excitement each time the water sprouts from the mouth of the faces on this structure. I was thrilled too, watching this spectacle…

It was the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen.

Stroll through Millennium Park in Downtown Chicago

This Wednesday, my family and I drove through the heart of downtown Chicago, through glittering and vibrant lanes, sky scrappers looming high on the either side of the street. I was totally awed by the architecture. I craned my neck ninety degrees upward to stretch my gaze hundred stories upwards till it hurt   

We drove for nearly an hour in the concrete jungle till we came to a large open space; I was attracted to the greenery surrounding this area. We had to stop there to take in the fresh air.

This 25 acres of awe inspiring landscape was Millennium Park that I had heard about before I landed in Chicago, but never knew it to be so beautiful till I actually begun to climb up the steps and explore the space.

The Mozart Piano Concert drew my attention as soon as neared the Pritzker Pavilion. Summer is the best time to be in Chicago, I was told. There were variety of events lined up, like orchestral performance of Romeo and Juliet; and shows featuring the work of classical composers like Beethoven and Mozart and people were dotted across the pavilion in a picnic mood, stretched on the grass with family and friends, enjoying the music.

I wish I had come here earlier, because this is the place one can spend all day just lazing in the park. I also noticed some high-tech outdoor music and lighting system at The Pritzker Pavilion and was informed that there is free film screenings each Tuesday during this summer till September, with sound and image crystal clear all the way back of the green lawn, so wherever you set up your chairs or blankets, you can enjoy the movie experience.

Another beautiful structure that interested me much was  the Cloud Gate also called ‘The Bean’ a bean shaped stainless steel structure that reflected not only Chicago’s skyline but also all the people in the park. I caught different images from different angles walking on all sides and under it. The reflections on the steel structure created beautiful panorama of images.

Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, or else the sunset would have looked beautiful on this curved surface.

This is the must-see place in Chicago; it is signature landmark at East Randolph street (between Michigan Ave and Columbus Ave.

Visit to Baha’i Temple at Illinois Was a Pleasant Experience

Baha’i temple was mentioned at home several times since I had touched the city of Illinois. Back home I have visited a lotus shaped Baha’i temple in Delhi, but still, I was curious to see this one mainly for its architecture.

We drove on a clear day to Linden Ave, Wilmette, to see the famous Baha’i temple.

It’s a beautiful structure in white with artistic carvings on the walls and on pillars, surrounded on all side by landscape and water fountains, it overlooks the lake. Completed in 1953 and designed by French Canadian architect Louis Bourgeois, it is one of the seven Baha’i temples in the world. The Baha’i place of worship is the cross between a mosque and the temple.

Baha’is believe nine, the last number in decimal system, symbolizes perfection and completions, hence many elements of the building occur in groups of nine. There are nine entrances to the auditorium, nine interior alcoves; nine dome sections to the auditorium, nine fountains in the garden area. Bahia followers believe that God revealed himself through Messengers (Christ, Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad and other Gods)

On closer inspection of the pillar, one could see symbols of many religions like cross (of Christians), Star of David, symbols used by Hindus and Buddhists in the form of swastika. On the top of the pillar is a nine-pointed star, symbolizing the Baha’i. Various writings of Bahaullah, the founder of the religion, are inscribed above the building entrances.

Since I did not want to climb the step to go up, I took the back entrance and went up inside the building by lift. People meditated in silence in the large dome shaped hall, all engrossed in their own faith.

Inside the building there were artwork and large wall hangings of religious inscriptions. A plaster model of Baha’is temple designed by Bourgeois occupied one segment of the corridor.  

In the dark corner was the Cornerstone, that Abdu’i-Baha had dedicated to the Baha’I temple.

It was a beautiful experience walking around this temple. I went back again after sunset, the building glowed at night against the dark skies.

Since i used the back entrance and taken the lift to go upstairs, I had not seen the gardens and fountains that looked so beautiful during my last visit. I went there back again to climb the stairs and have a closer look from below the stairs.This time I clicked more pictures from different angles, the front view, the gardens and the waterfall. It was beautiful..