Max Lamb, a British designer famend for his progressive use of supplies, took a daring step in the direction of sustainability together with his exhibition title “Field.” Offered at Gallery Fumi in London final fall. The exhibition showcased a set of 33 items of furnishings crafted fully from cardboard waste sourced from his studio. Via this challenge, Lamb seeked to show the structural capabilities of cardboard, difficult typical perceptions of the fabric.
The “Field” exhibition showcased 23 chairs, together with bigger objects like a settee and a eating desk, all constructed utilizing cardboard and a do-it-yourself glue comprised of flour and water.
The one ornament on these “upcycled” items got here from stripes of paint made with mineral pigments and linseed oil, avoiding petroleum-based merchandise. Lamb emphasised the sustainability of his method, stating, “I’ve chosen a quite simple, available and humble set of supplies to make this assortment. And all of the items will be infinitely repaired.”
I’ve chosen a quite simple, available and humble set of supplies to make this assortment. And all of the items will be infinitely repaired.
Lamb’s dedication to utilizing solely waste cardboard —starting from postage containers to bathroom rolls and get in touch with lens packaging — ensures that no new supplies had been bought for the challenge. This method not solely reduces waste but in addition underscores the potential of cardboard as a main materials relatively than only a secondary one.
To create these sturdy items, Lamb typically left the containers largely intact, stacking them into numerous configurations and reinforcing them with inside cardboard lattices to make sure structural integrity. Offcuts from the method had been remodeled into papier-mâché, utilized in as much as 15 layers to type a supportive exoskeleton. “I’ve solely obscured areas the place it’s been essential for structural necessities, relatively than purely for aesthetics,” Lamb explaines.
One of many extra creative items within the assortment is a chair fashioned from a rolled-up log of cardboard strips. Lamb carved a seat and backrest out of this cylinder, utilizing papier-mâché to stabilize the chair and reduce waste. The usage of plant-based supplies, together with cardboard comprised of wooden pulp, wheatpaste glue, and linseed paint, means all the assortment is plastic-free.