Inside the 50th celebration of Cassina's iMaestri Collection in Milan

The Echoes exhibition, curated by Patricia Urquiola and Federica Sala, commemorated Cassina iMaestri's 50-year anniversary and took place at Palazzo Broggi in Milan from April 17th-21st, 2023. Cassina showcased their evolution of classic furniture in the exhibition, focusing on authenticity and design culture. Through a process of reinterpreting and industrializing furniture by influential Modern Movement architects, Cassina creates contemporary pieces with a philological approach. The exhibition invites visitors to explore the company's essence through five themed sections, with red featured throughout.

Section 1:

The first part of the exhibition starts by recounting Cassina's intuition, the idea behind the designs and the development process involved. It showcases how Cassina's renowned furniture designs were produced through industrial processes, including prototypes of famous products such as the 699 Superleggera and the 4 Chaise longue. The exhibition also highlights Cassina's collaboration with Charles and Ray Eames' design studio and their upcoming Eames Lighting Collection. The exhibition gives visitors insight into Cassina's research and production facilities through videos, archival documents, and models, showcasing elements such as the carpentry workshop and manufacturing materials as exhibition elements. The exhibition offers a reflection of the objects stored in the vault, highlighting the Maralunga Mercurio Vivo sofa by Vico Magistretti as a jewel on display.

Section 2:

The second area of the exhibition explores Cassina's commitment to experimentation and innovation, allowing them to develop a method for serially producing designs by leading architects. Photographs by Scheltens & Abbenes show the deconstruction of iconic pieces like the ZigZag chair, while the display of never-before-released products by Franco Albini provides further insight into their designs. Accompanied by archive documents, drawings, and motion graphics, the exhibition highlights the continuity between past and present and emphasizes Cassina's dedication to pushing the boundaries of furniture design.

Section 3:

The exhibition's next section highlights the Cassina iMaestri Collection's cultural significance, exemplifying the company's commitment to promoting universal artistic values. The exhibition showcases a selection of iconic designs by Gerrit T. Rietveld, including the Red and Blue small armchair and prototypes by the Dutch architect. The area's centerpiece is a scenographic installation featuring the Doge table by Carlo Scarpa, a new addition to the collection, where it dialogues with product photos taken by Delfino Sisto Legnani, creating an immersive experience for visitors.

Section 4:

The exhibition's fourth section celebrates Cassina's hallmark timeless elegance by showcasing designs from maestri who have gone beyond trends. The presentation uses raw construction materials such as polycarbonate corrugations on wheels and floating floors to showcase iconic designs by Vico Magistretti, Ico Parisi, and Marco Zanuso, with prototypes, product breakdowns, and 3D sketches on display. The Paravento Balla by Giacomo Balla also engages in a virtual dialogue with a deconstructed video projection on the corner wall. Catalogues and materials that tell the company's story, represented by a backlit 1950s logo, can also be found on a long shelf. The section is viewed on the ground floor, providing visitors with a comprehensive experience of the exhibition's highlights.

Section 5:

The final section of the exhibition celebrates Cassina's ability to look to the future whilst maintaining a connection to the past. By exploring natural materials, Cassina displays its expertise in carpentry, showcasing production models and prototypes, including Le Corbusier's Atelier worktable and spartan boxes, such as the LC14 Tabouret Cabanon, both showing refined details. Additionally, there are new pieces never shown before, such as the Table Tronc arbre, a small table made from an unpolished solid tree trunk. The exhibition also features plaster casts of original moulds depicting the symbols of the utopian city of Chandigarh and a cross-reference to Charlotte Perriand's Paravent Ambassade and the Rio coffee table. The exhibit creates a rarefied, almost lunar landscape featuring Franco Albini's Cicognino side table on an artificial boulder. The exhibit concludes with a preview of Paris-based Italian photographer Tommaso Sartori's shots of products immersed in the unspoilt landscapes of Etna and the Cretto di Burri, celebrating nature and anticipating future change.

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Showroom Address: G/F Wilson House, 19-27 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong