Cecil Balmond designs 'Freedom Sculpture' for Los Angeles

A rendering of the "Freedom Sculpture" designed by Cecil Balmond

Courtesy of Farhang Foundation

A new public artwork will be unveiled at a public festival this Fourth of July in Century City. The "Freedom Sculpture" is a stainless steel monument designed by renowned British engineer, artist and designer Cecil Balmond. Balmond was chosen by the Iranian-American Farhang Foundation to create a sculpture that symbolizes religious freedom, cultural diversity and inclusiveness. So he modeled it on the Cyrus Cylinder of ancient Persia, an early declaration of human rights created 2,600 years ago. Its design is intended to have the "kinetic sense of movement" found in Balmond works from his engineering of the CCTV building in Beijing to the Arcelormittal Orbit sculpture created with artist Anish Kapoor for London's Olympic Park.