Armchair and Footrest Up 5/6 Mamma by Gaetano Pesce for B&b Italia, 2000s

In the early 1960s, the chemist Bayer developed a polyurethane foam based on a new resin, allowing the creation of various forms, in a simple way. from the middle of the decade, the Italian publisher of design C&B takes hold and invests in the possibilities offered by this evolution. The company then offers Gaetano Pesce, interested in new technologies and the potential they offer, to experience this material: it develops the “series up”. By this object, the designer symbolically expresses his vision of women. with the round pouf, second element of the chair, the creator specifies that he wanted to give this chair a feminine shape with a ball at the foot. He thus wishes to denounce by a metaphor the female condition. During its presentation at the Milan Furniture Fair in 1969, the object was scandalous. The first edition of the Mamma had no supporting structure and consisted of a unique block, simplifying the transport of the seat. Its volume was reduced by compressing it under vacuum in an airtight packaging. Once placed in the desired place, the buyer cleared the seat packaging, so it was swollen slowly and resumed its shape and initial size, thanks to the air which enters the cells of the polyurethane foam. Originally edited by C&B, it was removed from the catalog in 1973 due to the presence of Fréon gas. It reappears in 2000, manufactured in Bayfit and marketed by B&B Italia, Mamma is still marketed to date. Retapped armchair in 2D fabrics, interior polyurethane foam made up of two monobloc parts.