Rio 2016 Cauldron complemented by kinetic sculpture. Anthony Howe

More than 78,000 Olympic athletes, spectators and dignitaries from around the world filled Rio de Janeiro's famed Maracanã Stadium to celebrate the start of the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. As the Opening Ceremonies concludes, those in attendance, along with billions of viewers around the globe, focused their attention on the lighting of the Olympic cauldron, commissioned by world-renowned kinetic wind sculptor and Orcas Island, Washington resident, Anthony Howe.

Once ignited, the flame rose gently above the crowd, rising to meet Howe’s two-ton behemoth, a massive metal and glass piece measuring 40 feet in diameter. (The cauldron itself is actually quite small compared to those lit in recent Olympics—reportedly to make it more energy efficient a part of these Games’ anti-global warming message.) Howe also created a smaller sculpture for a second flame, lit outside the Candelaria Church downtown.