?Mama.? ?La Donna.? Whatever the 50 year old Up5 is affectionately referred to as, it?s inextricably connected to the word ?iconic?.

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?Mama.? ?La Donna.? Whatever the Up5 is affectionately referred to as, it?s inextricably connected to the word ?iconic?. Making its debut 50 years ago in September 1969 at the Milan Furniture Fair, the armchair from C&B (which would later become B&B Italia), designed by Gaetano Pesce, was vacuum-packed and self-inflating, with hundreds set up around the fair?s space. Their unpacking became a presentation, a performance that was unmatched and surprisingly emotional as each piece grew and morphed into its full, final form.
The idea for the design and application came to Pesce like many great ideas: while he was in the shower. Ultimately, Up5 evolved into Serie Up ? a collection of six Up armchairs and sofas ? made from expanded polyurethane that?s vacuum-compressed up to 1/10 of its actual volume, using a technique developed by C&B specialist of plastic materials, Camillo Colombo. Once the furniture is unpacked it immediately takes shape, thanks to Freon gas present in the polyurethane blend, and is an irreversible process. When it comes to aesthetics, the design of the series sits squarely between industrial and post-industrial design and is an iconic symbol of...