Vertical machines

All it takes is the press of a button. The lift car moves, the doors close, and in a matter of seconds our relationship with space changes. An everyday, almost automatic gesture that conceals one of the greatest transformations of the modern age. The exhibition examines the lift not merely as a mechanical contraption, but as a genuine cultural artefact capable of revolutionising the’architecture, edit the skyline of major cities and redefine the very concept of living.

At the heart of the exhibition stands a Original vintage scale model of a Stigler lift, a treasured piece from the permanent collection of the Museum of Electrical Technology, a testament to the excellence of the’Italian industry in the sector. Around this artefact, the narrative unfolds along seven themed floors which guide the audience through the history of the invention: from the complex the Eiffel Tower’s hydraulic systems produced for the’The 1889 Paris World’s Fair, right up to the modern ones Manhattan’s skyscrapers, as captured in the evocative photo series by Francesco Cotana.

The interior reveals itself to be a veritable floating living room, explored through period catalogues and immersive simulations. The scientific perspective, curated by Carlo Berizzi, Alessandro Greco, Francesca Picchio e Massimiliano Savorra, blends the history of technology with industrial heritage, ultimately opening the doors to the collective imagination: from the Antonio Sant’Elia’s futuristic lifts the various forms of the cinemain the literature, in the comics and in the music.