Many residents in Como have given a ‘thumbs down’ to plans for a towering 16.5-metre-high monument designed by internationally renowned American architect Daniel Libeskind.
The contemporary artwork, entitled ‘The Life Electric,’ which Libeskind is donating to the city, is a tribute to Como native and scientist Alessandro Volta, inventor of the battery.
Weighing 11 tonnes, the colossal work will have a shiny steel structure that will reflect the ‘energy, dynamism, space and light’ of the city, said Libeskind in a recent interview with local daily Corriere di Como.
To be located at the far end of a jetty along the Como lakefront, the sculpture’s installation will cost 50,000 euro, with private sponsors footing the bill. The project was made possible by the Amici di Como association.
Among those who objected to the massive steel monument is the local association of architects, which claimed it would ruin the distinctive Como landscape.
With plans to erect the monument by April 2015, local authorities have ignored naysayers and approved the project, stating that its location and size is ‘compatible with the surrounding landscape.’
For more information and to view renderings of the monument, see www.thelifelectric.it.
