Gaetano Pesce (b. 1939) is said to have been in the shower holding a sponge when the revelation came to him. The architect's favorite material, polyurethane, had the same ability as the sponge – it could expand and shrink. The following year, UP 2000 was released by the Italian design firm B&B Italia. Seven pieces of furniture shrunk to the size of small children exploded into the design world – vacuum-packed, shipped and stored, they were only 10% of their final size.
In living rooms, the pieces, and especially UP 5 and UP 6, could be unleashed and grow to their full potential. The model has been given many nicknames, such as Big Mama or Donna, giving the armchair important symbolism.
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In the shape of a giant woman - inspired by fertility goddesses - it was combined with a stool via an interconnected chain. The design thus became a commentary on the condition of women, as Pesce is said to have said: "Women have always been locked up by their fear of men and men's prejudices. I liked the idea of giving the armchair a feminine shape and a ball and chain, that is the traditional image of the prisoner." Later, the ball was also interpreted to symbolize the child.
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The architect Pesce is still a relevant name in the design world, having brought art and interior design closer together in his lifetime. He has been all over the place with his creativity, designing well-known buildings such as the Organic Building in Osaka, Japan, and making vases, spaghetti art and furniture.
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Yet no other work captures his greatness as well as the timeless UP 5 and UP 6. These energetic creations combine art, technological development and user-friendliness.
But if you're looking for the designer's work, don't miss the Sit Down sofa/armchair from 1975, made of a loose mould of polyurethane foam filled on top with a plywood frame. The Feltri armchair in resin plastic from 1986 is also another classic. Pesce is represented at MoMa in New York, the Vitra Museum in Germany and the Pompidou Centre in France.
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B&B Italia, which owns the rights to the UP series, has been re-producing some of the variants for a couple of decades and has been making a children's version of the classic for a few years now.
