Max Lamb is Giving Cardboard a Second Chance

It happens to all of us. You order something, you open it, you toss the cardboard to one side, and before you know it – you’ve accumulated a mountain of the stuff.

It even happens to Max Lamb, whose studio, by his own account, was filled with piles and piles of discarded packaging. For Lamb, these piles posed a challenge – how do you give scrap material a heightened value?

He began to transform cardboard into furniture forms and functional sculptures. Starting points ranged from unbleached cardboard tubes used to store and transport his Space-Dyed tufted rugs, and corrugated cardboard from transporting works to muesumes and galleries.

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

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Courtesy Of Gallery Fumi

The process involved cutting, scoring, folding, crushing the material, before reassembling it with traditional fixings – bolts and screws – and also a homemade glue crafted from flour and water. Overall, though, it was important to Lamb that the pieces had structural integrity, while having been visibly crafted from cardboard.

The results are currently on show at an exhibition titled “Box” at London’s Gallery Fumi, which has represented Lamb for the past 15 years. Valerio Capo, co-founder of Gallery Fumi said: “From the early days when we showed Max’s first works at our original gallery in Shoreditch, we’ve watched him grow alongside us. His latest project is a true testament to his talent and creativity and we feel fortunate to be a part of his artistic journey.”

Box is on view at Gallery Fumi through to November 18. Take a closer look at some of the pieces above, and for more design – check out this treehouse nestled in the Estonian wilderness.