OFFICINE GRANDI RIPARAZIONI

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024
WORLD PREMIERE EXHIBITION

Premiering at Italian Tech Week 2024, The Tree of Knowledge marked the debut of a major new generative kinetic sculpture—a four-sided, monolithic pillar, each face a portal into a living digital tree entwined with industrial systems. The unveiling took place at OGR TORINO (OFFICINE GRANDI RIPARAZIONI), a 19th-century railway repair facility transformed into a cutting-edge venue for technology and culture. Set within this space where innovation meets history, the piece reflected the past and future of human progress in real time.

Fed continuously by live data from global news, weather, finance, and social media, the sculpture transforms based on the “informational climate” of the world. Viewers can toggle between “Signal” and “Noise” modes—experiencing structured clarity or overwhelming distortion—offering a visceral encounter with how data can be shaped, warped, or weaponized.

At the heart of the sculpture lies a custom “choose violence” button, granting the owner the ability to activate a temporary third state: Violence. This mode can only be triggered 666 times before the system irreversibly transitions into a degraded, corrupted state—an unsettling metaphor for the long-term cost of destructive action. In this way, the work doesn’t simply respond to data—it holds a mirror to the consequences of choice.

Proceeds from the acquisition of The Tree of Knowledge by Lingotto Investment Management were donated to environmental and food equity causes, including Art into Acres and Big Green. These nonprofits work to preserve biodiversity and improve food systems, extending the sculpture’s message into tangible impact.

After its unveiling at OGR TORINO, the piece was installed for public viewing at Pinacoteca Agnelli before being relocated to its permanent home at Lingotto’s New York office. Today, The Tree of Knowledge continues to operate as a living sculpture—always shifting, always watching, and always alive.

LINKS
www.theartnewspaper.com
www.lingotto.com
www.italiantechweek.com
www.artintoacres.org
www.biggreen.org