Riva 1920 has taken their collaboration with Etaly a step further on the occasion of the opening of Eataly Downtown New York in the Westfield World Trade Center built on the rubble of Ground Zero. They have designed the Earth Table that will be placed at the entrance of the space as a welcome sign for all the visitors.
Featured by a top made of resin and millenary Kauri wood from New Zealand, it wants to be a stylized representation of the earth, the wooden parts metaphorically representing the continents and the resin sections the oceans. The texture of wood and the transparency of the resin are capable of creating a fascinating interplay of light and shadow.
The table is quintessential a symbol of conviviality, sharing, exchange, aggregation, meeting around a central theme that is the food, which is a universal need. The concept behind the design idea is inspired by the theme of peace and unity of the peoples where there are no prejudices, differences of class or race.
The special iron base, designed by Renzo Piano, that echoes the original design of table “Antico” for the initiative of “Ground Zero … Ground Heroes” in 2001, symbolizes the tangle of the reinforcement of buildings protruding from the rubble following the collapse of the Twin Towers.
The table becomes a silent witness so that the horror is not forgotten and an exemplary manifestation of the ability to express emotions through symbolic details.
