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Ziggurat by Massimiliano Maggio , Birth of an Icon

(INSIDE interview-2020)

 

 “To my Dear Friend Nunzio, who gave me the blank sheet in which my foolish hand drew the first Ziggurat . He still is the proudly owner of a unique work, the no.1 I have ever made”. MM

How does it feel to be the father of such a famous work?

I really didn’t expect the design of this table to be so popular; as a matter of fact,  Ziggurat, is the most appreciated and counterfeited pool table in the world of all time. At that time, I just wanted to do something new, unpredictable… I was so excited about.

Why Ziggurat? 

“In 2003, a client asked me to do something unique for his Living room. He was looking for a pool table and I was pretty popular in the field of high-end custom made pool table, at that time.

City and Kokà collections were already on the market featuring more than 20 different models of convertible pool tables, with custom finishes available. So it has been really challenging to match clients’ requests with the mathematical proportion and precision, the scientific rigour of a pool table’s making…

This client was different: he would not have been satisfied with just a custom finish. He was looking for something unique, people had never seen before. He had this huge hall, overlooking the bay of Naples waiting for me! What a challenge … he gave me a blank sheet in which I would have drawn whatever I wanted and turn it into a pool table. Priceless.

I started with this image in my mind, of a huge hall overlooking the bay, caressed by waves. Static and dimensional at the same time, able to extend the viewer’s perspective in an endless movement.  I happen to grow up in a pool table’s factory so pool table making doesn’t have any secrets for me: once shaped mechanics and technical heart, it can be dressed up with the most refined design. But this time was a different matter: I wanted to create a movement in an instrument meant to be static and perfectly leveled.

I wanted to do something new,  unpredictable. Basically the main idea was a visual representation of a starway to heaven and back. Mesopotamian Temples inspired me to start a whole new concept in pool table design, so I came up with this name ‘Ziggurat’ , as the birth of a new way in designing table. 14 smelted aluminium panels ( I wanted aluminium so badly, because I was afraid for the table to collapse, ahaha); then I assembled the panels, and polished them one by one, with my own hands. I have cursed those fuc**ing panels  every single day for two months and I said to myself I would have never made another one in my entire life, ahahah.. but in the end, it was done: magnificent, flawless, a perfect machine.

2004, Ziggurat was born. My first 1, laying in a beautiful hall, overlooking the bay of Naples, caressed by the Sea.

I was lost.

Read the full article INSIDE MAGAZINE Interview- Massimiliano Maggio, a Legend is Born

Watch full video BIRTH OF AN ICON