The new Pangea by Riva1920 for Expo 2015
05/05/2015
By way of celebrating this year's Expo 2015, Riva 1920 has created Pangea, a new table with a surface of about 80 square metres, presently on display at Hall Zero, designed by Michele De Lucchi and conceived by Davide Rampello.
The project borrows its name from Pangea, the single continental mass thought to be made up of all land above sea-level in prehistoric times, and which broke up in later geological eras giving rise to today's continents.
Riva 1920 regards this item as symbolizing the erstwhile unity of all lands. In fact, the project pays homage to the concept of "back to basics" and to a brotherhood of man, with no borders or barriers between peoples.
Central to the making of this project is the high regard for the environment and the safeguarding of our arboreal heritage by using recycled timber, something which has always been a distinguishing feature of Riva 1920.
These timber varieties are thousand-year-old Kauri wood, buried in the swamps of its native New Zealand and used here for the surface top, and Briccole wood poles from the Venice lagoon, normally serving as marker posts and used here to make the 271 legs supporting the whole structure.
The table surface consists of 19 jagged pieces that all fit together like an outsize jigsaw puzzle. Also, it has been sanded in such a way as to enhance the beautiful grain of this extraordinary wood.
Pangea has been crafted using formaldehyde-free vinyl-based adhesives, which are harmful neither to humans nor to the environment. The surface top finish is treated with natural oils.