a laser over the lagoon
Above the lagoon surrounding Venice, a green ring now hangs in the night sky as British artist Chris Levine unveils Higher Power, a week-long laser installation during the opening days of the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. Projected from San Clemente Island and visible across the city until midnight each evening from May 4th — 11th, the public artwork turns the Venetian skyline into an active canvas for light and collective attention.
The project uses a modified military-grade laser system developed with engineers and physicists in Germany. At certain moments, the beam appears as a single vertical line extending into the atmosphere. At others, the light resolves into a sharply defined halo suspended over the water.
The effect depends heavily on weather conditions and airborne particles, which catch and diffuse the beam into a visible form. From the canals and bridges across Venice, the circle reads with surprising precision, hovering high above the island like an architectural drawing traced directly onto the sky.
Higher Power, Chris Levine. image © Francesco Semenzato
chris levine harnesses light as medium in venice
Artist Chris Levine has spent years working with light as both image and physical experience, often pushing technology associated with science or industry into more perceptual territory. Here, the hardware itself becomes part of the story. During development, test projections were reportedly visible from the International Space Station, giving the installation an unusual spatial scale even before its public debut.
The beam operates at 515 nanometers, producing an intensely pure green frequency. According to the artist, the system also oscillates at 432hz, a tuning associated with meditative and healing practices. Those details could easily drift into pseudo-scientific language, yet the installation feels strongest when encountered directly from the city itself.
‘Meditation has always been a key aspect of my work. At a time when so much attention is directed downwards, this work is about collectively looking up, and going deep inside,‘ Chris comments. ‘If a work can induce a brief meditative state in my audience, it’s creating peace in this world of increasing uncertainty.‘
Higher Power, Chris Levine. image © Selim Uyar
project info:
name: Higher Power
artist: Chris Levine | @chrislevine
location: Venice, Italy
dates: May 4th — 11th, 2026
photography: © Francesco Semenzato © Selim Uyar