Growing By Numbers is a light installation commissioned by Zumtobel to make people confident with their new LED driven Capix technology. The installation - made of some ten-meter high red light numbers placed on top of the highest skyscrapers - spread over the central part of Milano underlining the quick urban transformation of the city. Since its debut in early December 2010 the Milanese citizens were puzzled with the meaning of these red light numbers floating in the sky. A disclosure of the meaning went through the press, blogs and social networks. Other forms of communication - such as a public event on the top floor of Grattacielo Pirelli and a movie describing the reaction of the citizen in front of these massive light numbers - were linked to the installation creating a powerful marketing tool and a unique piece of art.
The concept of the installation could be summarized this way: “Milano grows, especially in height. How is it possibile to underline this change which is quickly transforming the look of the city and involving its inhabitants? How is it possibile to highlight and carefully consider this crucial change? Let’s start a progressive numbering of the skyscrapers located in the following urban areas: Central Station, Isola, Varesine, Garibaldi, the central district of the city which is the symbol of this conversion. Let’s number them in a chronological order: first the Pirelli building, then the new tower of the regional headquarter and finally the towers which are still to be finished. Then let’s join all the numbers with an ideal line representing the city plan of the future. Growing By Numbers: at least once everybody has been playing to link numbers with a pen to get a drawing out of it. With a play on words growing now becomes drawing. That’s the drawing of the city of the future.”
Growing By Numbers resulted to be an innovative overlap of architecture, art and communication achieving public and critic acclaim and becoming a temporary outstanding landmark in Milano.
