The Life Electric

The Life Electric is a monumental sculpture dedicated to Alessandro Volta, the Como-born physicist whose experiments led to the invention of the electric battery. Installed at the end of the Diga Foranea pier in the centre of Lake Como’s harbour, the 13.75-metre-high work is formed by two curving sinusoidal steel elements whose opposing movements evoke the positive and negative poles of electrical energy.

Clad in 316 highly reflective steel panels, the sculpture continuously absorbs and reframes its surroundings, producing shifting reflections of the city, mountains and lake. By day it changes with the light and landscape; at night, underwater LED illumination transforms the structure into a luminous marker within the harbour. Conceived by Daniel Libeskind in collaboration with Lev Libeskind and Libeskind Design, the project was offered as a gift to the city of Como