Of course, doing away with the restrictive and largely outdated convention – formal and aesthetic – of pristine, unblemished finishing is central to this proposition. Perhaps such a paradigm shift in thinking is necessary as we move forward into an increasingly uncertain and environmentally unstable world.
With collections like Poly Scrap Furniture, the experimental designer has been able to implement his exploration of different making techniques into objects – mostly chairs – created using off-cut components – those that are traditionally deemed too small or awkwardly shaped to use and that are usually thrown away. These iterative, never exactly replicated, designs are mostly presented by New York gallery Salon 94 and London platform Gallery FUMI.
His latest endeavor – WASTED Collection – 001 – stems from the same career-defining preoccupation but was, this time, developed in collaboration with ever-engamatic Bali eco resort Desa Potato Head. Having shifted the structure of its operations just a few years ago and rapidly but carefully expanded ever since, the complex has achieved 99.5% diversion from landfill.
For this undertaking, Lamb is repurposing a wide variety of discarded materials from within the destination, espousing the sustainable tenet of hyper locality to the fullest. Through much of his guidance and vision, the functional objects – everything from refillable candles to outdoor chairs; ceramic dinnerware to fiber-woven settees; carpets to tote bags – are being handcrafted by local artisans, putting their tried and true expertise to good use.
In many ways, Lamb is providing them with new, added relevance; allowing them to innovate without losing the potency of their long-established and continuously refined know-how: weaving, fabric-dyeing, pottery, etc. Other techniques such as plastic casting have also been implemented.
“Designers have a responsibility to justify every product we bring into the world,” Lamb says. “With WASTED, we’re not just rethinking materials, we’re celebrating the human hands and knowledge that shape them.” Lamb and the destination are in the middle of a five-year-long partnership that will result in multiple releases.
