Il Dente del Gigante is wired to allow GE employees around the world to send messages of support via the internet. Each message scrolls across a large monitor at the base of the sculpture.
As a Worldwide Partner of the Olympic Games, GE is the exclusive provider of a wide range of innovative products and services that are integral to successful Olympic Games. Every two years, thousands of athletes and millions of spectators feel a rush of adrenaline as records are broken and dreams are achieved at the Olympics.
For GE, the opportunity to help create the competitive spirit of the Games is an honor and a privilege. In June 2003, we announced that GE had become a proud worldwide partner of the Olympic Games with rights to the Olympic symbol starting January 2005. As a member of the TOP (The Olympic Partner) program, we are the preferred supplier for 15 product and service categories. From providing power, lighting, security and modular space solutions at Olympic venues to supplying ultrasound and MRI equipment to help doctors treat athletes, GE works closely with the Organizing Committees, local municipalities and other Olympic Partners to understand their needs and then deliver solutions that only GE can.
It is the goal of GE’s 300,000 employees worldwide to help ensure Torino 2006
is one of the most unforgettable Olympic Winter Games ever.
Read messages sent by GE employees all over the world to be displayed in Torino.
The idea for Il Dente del Gigante (the Giant’s Tooth) was born in the mountains of Italy. It’s the name given to vertical rock formations whereby a central spire rises higher than those surrounding it. Nothing seemed like a more appropriate gift to Torino than a sculpture that represents the heights that athletes will achieve during the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. Several factors combine to make Il Dente del Gigante a most remarkable piece, including construction, location and interactivity.
The monument was designed by Richi Ferrero and Carmelo Giammello to resemble an ice-covered mountain with vertical rock formations and a central spire. Richi is a local lighting artist whose many projects in the region over the years are well known.
For starters, the artist used semi-transparent GE Lexan Plastics illuminated from the inside with GE Lighting to give visitors a sense of standing among massive “ice rocks.” Day and night, the sculpture emits and contains light in a sophisticated range of colours, accompanied by rhythmic overtures of a sparse, soothing soundtrack.
Situated in the heart of Torino’s breathtaking Piazza Solferino, Il Dente del Gigante’s visual impact is maximized due to the contrast between the contemporary sculpture and the classic beauty of the newly restored Fontana Angelica (water fountain).
