50,000-year-old giant tree honors 9/11 heroes
kauri-antico-table.jpg
Made from a 50,000-year-old Kauri log, this 40 by 6 ft. Antico Table, designed by Renzo and Matteo Piano, was created for the “Ground Zero...Ground Heroes” project after the terror attack in New York on 9/11.
MILAN, Italy -- A massive 40 ft. by 6 ft. Antico table on display in SCM's booth at Xylexpo 2018 has a legendary history that is surpassed only by its current symbolic dedication to bravery.
 
Tane Mahuta in Maori means Millennial Kauri, which is New Zealand's largest and most famous tree.  It is also the oldest wood in the world. Dating back to the Jurassic Period, these giants were felled by natural disasters more than 50.000 years ago and remained buried under many feet of mud.  They remained unchanged until the present.  Logs up to 240-ft. long and 27 feet in diameter have been recovered.
 
On display at Xylexpo 2018
The Antico Table, designed by Renzo and Matteo Piano, was created for the “Ground Zero...Ground Heroes” project after the terror attack in New York on 9/11. The proceeds from five kauri tables, auctioned by Christie’s, were then donated to the children of Italian-American firemen who lost their lives during the attack. The special iron base of Antico Table is the symbol of the Twin Towers wreckage.
 
Kauri wood comes from prehistoric Kauri trees – buried and preserved in peat up to 50,000 years ago in New Zealand’s North Island. Buried by an unexplained act of nature, the trees have survived for centuries underground, sealed in a chemically balanced environment that has preserved the timber in perfect condition.
 
The Earth table from design firm Riva 1920, shown above, also features 50,000-year-old Kauri wood.  The tabletop features Kauri wood into a resin setting, allowing the material to float above a tubular base. The resin, which makes up the oceanic segments, forms an interplay of light and shadow.
 

Have something to say? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Profile picture for user Harry Urban
About the author
Harry Urban

Harry Urban is the retired publisher of the Woodworking Network. Urban spent more than 30 years working in business-to-business publishing, trade shows, and conferences. He has travelled extensively throughout North America and overseas visiting and reporting on major manufacturing facilities and trade shows. In retirement, he's still following the woodworking industry, but he plans to do a lot more fishing.