Gaetano Pesce Sessantuna Tablefor CassinaSESSANTUNA: a unique and singular work. Sixty-one icons that only resemble each other and remain, in essence, totally different. Sixty-one tables representing the year 1861 in which the Italian Unification was completed. One day, if we could place these together, side by side, they would perfectly recreate the shape of the Italian peninsula, 25 by 20 metres, with its irregular land and sea borders, its numerous islands and its inimitable profile: a poetic homage to the native land of creativity and art.
The creation is a huge work, unlike any other in the world, the result of the union of the designer’s idea and savoir-faire. SESSANTUNA goes beyond the concept of design as the replication of magnificent equals. It surprises because it is manufactured in infinite variations, some by design, some left to chance; the result is the creation of authentic objects that are similar yet different, just as every person is similar and yet different to each other. SESSANTUNA is a celebration of the femininity of Italy, but also of the creative process. “I see the future as feminine" explains Pesce; the masculine has made history and created many beautiful and important things, but now it risks repetition. To embark on a new chapter, history must become feminine…”.
The SESSANTUNA project revisits the famous red, white and green Sansone table (no longer in production) unveiled by Gaetano Pesce and Cassina in 1980. Every SESSANTUNA table is produced with innovative resins, cast in the three colours of the Italian flag using a truly cutting-edge production process. This allows for the optimisation of the end result, reducing the overall weight and obtaining the random and intriguing blends that make each table an original work. Also of note are the table legs; these are independent and can be affixed to the grooves under the surface and positioned according to taste.
SESSANTUNA is a work that is designed to tell the story of the Unification of Italy. All of the tables, signed by Gaetano Pesce, are numbered. according to the sequence of events in which each single territory became part of the new state. Each table has its own historical relevance, including its islands, out of scale, which underline each as an equally important contribution to the concept of unification.