One of the most impactful installations of Design Week 2019 is the Maestà Sofferente (Suffering Majesty) by Gaetano Pesce in Piazza Duomo, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Up 5 & 6 Armchair for B&B Italia. The most representative square of Milano wants to celebrate Italian creativity and, at the same time, re-propose the painful meaning of the woman's chair as a prisoner to the consciences of hundreds of thousands of visitors from different countries of the world.

A monumental Up 5 & 6 of polyurethane foam with fiberglass coating, 8 meters high and pierced by 400 arrows that recall the numerous abuses suffered, stands in front of the Duomo; the original spherical footrest becomes the prisoner's foot and the six heads of wild beasts emphasize man's cruelty.

This armchair with a feminine appearance has entered the collective imagination for its sinuous and maternal forms and, when presented for the first time, showed two innovative qualities. First of all, it was sold vacuum-packed: a flat transparent PVC disc found its shapes once opened, giving a home performance in the living room. And, more surprisingly, it was the first product of Italian Design to have a political and social significance: the woman forced to live behind the scenes in a world ruled by men.

If design is culture, openness and confrontation it is certainly in tune with the spirit of Milan that is becoming known to the world: open, welcoming and committed against all discrimination.