Mezzadro Stool — Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni
Image — “Mezzadro” sketch Armchair, Zanotta
The Mezzandro stool (meaning - sharecropper in Italian), was designed by brothers Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni in 1970s. This piece is a perfect example of design art. The essence of the stool was to simultaneously reference Italian agricultural practises and modern mass production. Many of the brothers work would fall into the category of “ready-made” objects, or as Achille like’s to say - Redesigned Objects. Made up of existing objects and pieces (tractor seat, wing nut from a bicycle, a bent steel bar and wooden stool likely from a boat), they all come together unchanged defining the simplicity and purity of the object.
Page from “Achille Castiglioni : design!”
Here is a quote from Paola Antonelli, from her essay on Castiglioni for the 1997 MOMA Exhibition. —
His Ready-made Objects evolve like living things: the components of the Mezzadro stool have been updated as the manufacture of tractor seats has changed without damaging the purity of the object. Castiglioni refers to another grouping as Redesigned Objects, meaning traditional objects that he has perfected or updated according to current needs and technological developments.” — Paola Antonelli
Achille Castiglioni Studio in Milan
