Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
A 15-story-tall wooden sphere inspired by the geometric shapes of Leonardo da Vinci’s studies will alight in Chicago in 2018 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Chicago and Milan, Italy.
The project, which was recently announced at a press reception at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Chicago, is being created by il Consorzio Orgoglio Brescia, a consortium of 18 highly specialized Italian companies from the Italian province of Brescia.
Orgoglio Brescia gained international fame for having designed the famous Tree of Life, which served as the focal point of the 2015 Milan Expo.
The Leosphere will be divided into two halves to symbolize the joining of the hemispheres of the world in which Milan and Chicago are found. The structure will rest amid a 100-meter-wide fountain that will feature water and light shows.
“Chicago is preparing for the 45th anniversary of its twinning with Milan in the best way possible and the Leosphere is the symbol of this extraordinary initiative,” says Joseph Monastero, co-chair of the Milan Chicago Sister Cities Committee.
The Leosphere will most likely come to rest in one of the city’s lakefront parks. A scale model will be on display until Jan. 7 in the ground floor space of Ernesto Meda at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.
