Seven pieces make up this collection, which in the sixties was one of the most striking cases of international design with these shapes covered in stretch fabric.
The Up armchair by B&B Italia is certainly the best known and became an undisputed icon in those years of great industrial ferment. Its anthropomorphic womb-like forms, reminiscent of prehistoric votive statues of fertility goddesses, the sphere connected to the armchair by a cable that acts as a footrest, a metaphor for the female image of the woman with the ball and chain, "a prisoner of herself" as Gaetano Pesce himself declares, is the essence of the project that took shape in 1969.
The provocative representation of the series is overlaid with a concept of industrial innovation, technology and commercial dynamics. The armchair picks up on the mutation of the shape of the sponge which, when squashed, contracts and reduces its volume. This pioneered a new construction concept, reducing transport and storage costs by increasing quantities and facilitating impulse buying by consumers who could take it home themselves. In fact, the chair was vacuum-packed, resulting in a shrinkage that reduced its volume to 10% of the total. When the packaging was opened, the material, in contact with the air, silently resumed its shape without the need for any tools, thanks to polyurethane technology which at that time saw B&B Italia as a pioneer in its use and experimentation. This construction process was maintained until 1973.
In 2000 they were put back into production with a standard production process, renewing the materials the series gained new life and comfort. The 'vacuum' process is replaced by new and further research into the material, which extends its durability.
There are many uses for this collection, from the home to contract work and in those situations where modernity and art come together and dialogue in a perfect union, as in UP7, a large sculptural foot that resembles an archaeological find and acts as a bridge between these worlds.
Up by B&B Italia is presented in the striped fabric version.
