naturally bronzed by the elements. Over an eight-year period the colour is expected to change from orange to a uniform dark shade via a process of oxidation. Each of the seven steel plates is eight feet wide (2.4 metres) and four inches thick. Visitors are able to walk inside the structure and look up at the sky above. Construction and location Taking more than one million man-hours to construct, the sculpture stands on a small plaza from the shoreline. When Serra first arrived in Doha to find a site to build a sculpture, he found a barren parkland along the city's corniche, as well as rocks, earth, and rubble from the building of the I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Art and its adjacent parkland. From these left-over materials, Serra and the Pei team built a crescent-shaped extension onto the water. This pier took over three years to build, with the help of the Pei team and architect Hiroshi Okamoto. During its construction, the pier needed extensive engineering and underwater reinforcements, positioned by a team of deep-sea divers, for stabilization. This the first time that a sculptor has designed the physical location of their site-specific sculpture, as the sculpture's site was formerly only water. According to Serra, the sculpture was designed to complement its surroundings. "It is my hope that the sculpture will provide both a public place and a private space for people to gather and experience the narrow, vertical, open column in relation to themselves, the Museum of Islamic Art, the city of Doha, the surrounding sea, and then sky as seen through the opening at the top of the sculpture." Unveiling The unveiling of 7 was attended by Sheikh bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, other royals of the House of Thani, and more than 700 guests. At the ceremony, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra performed Hughes de Courson's "The Magic Lutes" and Serra spoke about its origins and his own research. See also Public art in Qatar References 2011 sculptures Sculptures by Richard Serra Sculptures in Qatar Buildings and structures in Doha