While in Milan, we visited the Triennale Design Museum, which has an exhibition running called “Dream Factories”. The main elements of this exhibition include lighting and furniture from famous Italian Design companies. Although all of the pieces exhibited are important culturally as design icons, they are not all best sellers. The exhibit tries to display which products were successful on the market, and which were simply “flops” – iconic but not actually profitable for the companies involved.
One of my favourite chairs, which was on display in the exhibit, is “Up5” from the Serie 2000 series by Gaetano Pasce for B&B Italia. The Up series was first created in 1969 and is still sold by the company since it was one of the chairs in the exhibit that is profitable. It consists of 7 models of seat which range in size and colour. Up5 is the most famous chair model, and is supposed to represent the female figure with a ball shaped ottoman that represents the shackles of oppression against women in society. The chair is available in black, red, yellow, blue, dark green, beige and orange stripes. Up5 is made of flexible cold shaped polyurethane foam and covered with Jersey Fabric.
B&B Italia was founded in 1966 by Ambrogio Busnelli and became an icon around the world for the manufacturing on upholstered furniture using a new process to cold form polyurethane foam. In the 70’s it also became well known for its provocative communication style, with photos of Donna Jordan, Andy Warhol’s muse. B&B Italia has been awarded the Compasso D’oro numerous times over the years, but they are most proud of the award received in 1988 for the companies contribution to Italian Design, the first time it had ever been awarded to a company instead of a product.
The designer, Gaetano Pesce, was born in 1939 in La Spazia, Italy and has become famous for his work in many fields including architecture, interior design, graphic design and film. He has collaborated with iconic design companies like B&B Italia, Cassina and Vitra International to experiment in industrial design and furniture, and has also launched his own design companies called Fish Design and Open Sky in New York City. His work is also displayed in leading international museums such as MOMA in New York, the Victoria and Albert museum in London and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
By Amanda Cox, Laura Van Staveren and Anne Charbonneau
Keywords: Design History
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