Places to see in ( Como - Italy ) Life Electric
Places to see in ( Como - Italy ) Life Electric
Life Electric is a contemporary sculpture, dedicated to the physicist Alessandro Volta. Completed in 2015 it is located in Como, Italy. Life Electric was designed by Daniel Libeskind, and was a gift to Como, the city where the architect located his “Summer Session” school of architecture, in 1988. The sculpture was commissioned by the non profit association “Gli amici di Como”. The design of the fountain illustrates the evolution of modern architecture that took place over the period from 1920s to modern days, with the emergence of Rationalism. Libeskind’s creation has carried on the tradition of contemporary art in Como, and raised its profile.
The construction of Life Electric started in September 2014, with an estimated cost of €599,926.07. The project, reviewed by the architect and engineer Antonio Gianmarco Martorana Capsoni, and validated by the Mercury Engineering company SpA, was entirely donated to the municipality by Daniel Libeskind. Money for the construction work that helped to improve the resistance of the pier, and construction of the statue itself, was donated by Gli Amici Di Como.
The initial intention was to complete the project by the 1st May 2015, the same day as the inauguration of Expo 2015, but, after 119 additional days of work, the project was finally completed in August 2015. There had been nineteen days of delay due to bad weather, and twenty-five days for a summer break in August. The inauguration took place on the 2nd October 2015, and was attended by the mayor of Como, Daniel Libeskind with his family and Luigi Martino Volta, the nephew of Alessandro Volta
Life Electric is located on the very end of the Diga Foranea pier, which was consolidated before the construction of the statue. The pier is accessible to visitors, and the entrance can be reached from the Lungolago Mafalda di Savoia, which ends with the Tempio Voltiano. The project’s intention was to convey a sense of continuity through the approach to the statue. The location was chosen to give greater visibility to the sculpture, and to celebrate both Volta and the scientist Piero Caldirola, after whom the pier is named
The sculpture is 13.75 meters tall (14.25 including the base). It has the appearance of two opposing sinusoidal projections. At its base there is a circular containment wall made of stones 75 cm high, containing a stretch of water in which the monument is reflected. The water at the base is 10 cm deep, and its bottom is decorated with a squared motif. The base has been modified to let people sit beneath the statue, and look over the surroundings from a central point of view.
Life Electric takes inspiration from the electric tension existing between the two poles of a battery. It creates an idealistic third pole, located between the Faro Voltiano and the Tempio Voltiano, both attributed to the battery inventor, Alessandro Volta. The sculpture is designed to suggest connections among three of the five natural elements: light, wind and water.
( Como - Italy ) is well know as a tourist destination because of the variety of places you can enjoy while you are visiting Como . Through a series of videos we will try to show you recommended places to visit in Como - Italy
Join us for more :