Zappa

Barbera
Australia

Zappa is a low table for interior/exterior use, made from dichroic glass and sand-cast bronze. It responds to a growing desire for play and expression and at its core, Zappa is a bold statement born of small batch production and the willingness to experiment.

New and rich in character, Zappa is a stark contrast to the global trend towards inexpensive, flat pack and ubiquitous homewares and furnishings. In designing this coffee table, the apparent growing desire for objects with history and longevity has been addressed. Small batch production is not a groundbreaking or new concept, but it is an inherently radical notion in many ways and Zappa offers a blueprint for products that are made with enjoyment, have longevity, and escape sameness.

Bronze casting has become somewhat of a signature for the Barbera. As a material and method of manufacture with an incredibly long history, bronze has also become a central part of his creative practice. Dichroic glass on the other hand, is not only a new material, but in general, it is a very recent invention. Born of scientific innovation and technological advancement, it is a perfectly predictable and precise industrial material.

The Zappa table unifies these two materials in a departure from an established design language, signalling both a deep-rooted attachment to bronze and its ancient history, and an affinity for modernity and a dash of fun. Outside the cycle of “fast furniture”, Zappa will last lifetimes.

 

Photography: Paul Barbera.