— A global icon designed for an entertainment experience at Expo 2015
As Artistic Director of the Italian Pavilion of Expo 2015, Marco Balich conceived the Tree of Life / Albero della Vita as a symbol for the Italian edition of the Universal Exhibition.
A spectacular installation capable of producing a show with music, water and pyro fountains, light and projection effects. An icon turned into an architectural landmark, becoming a symbol of unique experiences and memories that further connote the identity of the place and its emotional hook.
The project has been inspired by the mosaics of the Duomo of Otranto and by Michelangelo’s pavement in Piazza del Campidoglio. The Tree of Life was an element deeply rooted in the Italian culture but also in many cultures from around the world, thus it came as a perfect hyphen between the diversity of the Universal Exhibition.
The Tree of Life is a 37 meters high sculpture made 150 tons of steel and wood. With its 2,5 Mil visitors per month, the icon and its shows have been effective communication tools to attract new audience generating buzz on social media that made the Tree of Life a trending topic in 2015.
This icon was linked with the concept of the Italian Pavilion, that was “Vivaio”, a fertile ground for innovation and sustainable solutions. Each project, presented within this incubator, was perceived as a seed of imagination and possibilities that Italy planted and cherished until it blossomed. The branches of this mighty Tree delivered to the world, embodied by Expo 2015, the fruits of the most brilliant Italian rising minds.
President of the Italian Republic Sergio Mattarella described the Tree of Life as the symbolic legacy of the Universal Exposition: «The image of this Tree with well planted roots on the ground, the branches facing upwards and its structure full of technology, I hope it will remain as a testimony to this network of intelligence and solidarity that Milan has put in place over the past six months».
- 37
meters high sculpture
- 150
tons of steel and wood
- 150
days of non-stop working thanks to 250 professionals
- 10
show per day / 1.500 show per month
