Cardboard Chronicles: A Remarkable Odyssey from Mundane to Artistic Marvel

A most unexpected journey; cardboard, from monotonous packing to captivating creative art. A perfect balance of creativity and ingenuity. Explore the narrative and balance of reinvention, where simple everyday objects find exceptional purpose, and celebrate the beautiful harmony of form and function. Immerse yourself in a dimension where everyday cardboard symbolises artistic greatness. Read more in Cardboard Chronicles: A Remarkable Odyssey from Mundane to Artistic Marvel.

Image on left Max Lamb (2) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H75 / W30 / D50 CM H29.5″ / W11.8″ / D19.7″ Seat height: H44 CM / H17.3″ (MLA510)

In the unassuming confines of every package, a silent hero resides, a humble yet extraordinary protagonist in the story of our home deliveries. It is a material so common and humble that its extraordinary journey is frequently forgotten about. 

Image on left Max Lamb (3) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H84.5 / W51 / D52 CM H33.2″ / W20″ / D20.4″ Seat height: H42.5 CM / H16.7″ (MLA511)

Image on right Max Lamb (33) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint H91 / W34.5 / D58 CM H35.8″ / W13.6″ / D22.8″ Seat height: H43 CM / H16.9″ (MLA536)

However, within the modest layers of paper that make up cardboard, is a narrative of transformation, a tale waiting to be unravelled. Considering the busy industries of the past, brilliant minds conceived this miracle, imagining it as a receptacle for the world’s commodities.

For decades, it carefully safeguarded goods as they crossed continents and oceans. But beyond its functional exterior was an unrealised aesthetic potential. Nonetheless, an evolution occurred in the modern era of innovation and sustainability. Artists peered past the regular facade with a new perspective. Now we understand it is a precious material one to be treasured for a greener world.

Max Lamb, a British artist, was one such visionary. Surrounded by the plain brown material, he perceived its potential rather than its simplicity. Cardboard, which was originally meant for the recycling bin, became the foundation of his artistic pursuit.

Lamb’s creative energy found its roots in the woods as he grew up in the untouched elegance of Cornwall. His hands, embraced by the elements, retained the promise of creativity. This assurance became a reality amidst the cardboard stacks. With an unwavering commitment to give scrap material primary value, he experimented with cutting, scoring, folding, and reassembling. Methodically moulding volumes of cardboard into forms that contradicted the material’s basic beginnings, using bolts, screws, paper gum tape, and a handmade wheat-based adhesive.

Image on the top left Max Lamb (7) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H90 / W43 / D60 CM H35.4″ / W16.9″ / D23.6″ Seat height: H48 CM / H18.9″ (MLA519)

Image on the top middle Max Lamb (4) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H87 / W53.5 / D53.5 CM H34.3″ / W21.1″ / D21.1″ Seat height: H42 CM / H16.5″ (MLA527)

Image on the top right Max Lamb (31) BOX Vase, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint H48 / W50 / D44 CM H18.9″ / W19.7″ / D17.3″ (MLA509)

Image on the bottom left Max Lamb (3) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H84.5 / W51 / D52 CM H33.2″ / W20″ / D20.4″ Seat height: H42.5 CM / H16.7″ (MLA511)

Image on the bottom right Max Lamb (9) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint H71.5 / W42 / D55 CM H28.1″ / W16.5″ / D21.6″ Seat height: H45 CM / H17.7″ (MLA528)

This creative crucible delivered not just furniture but also stories engraved in layers of brown paper. Lamb’s concepts, an amalgamation of practicality and aesthetics, extended the frontiers of furniture design. Each sculpture was a monument to the union of form and function, a celebration of sustainability imprinted with the artist’s fingerprints. The cardboard, which was previously seen as single-purpose (or for basic recycling) or devalued, acquired an alternative existence and value in Lamb’s hands.

Image on the top left Max Lamb (24) BOX Sofa, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H61 / W92 / D65 CM H24″ / W36.2″ / D25.6″ (MLA539)

Image on the top middle Max Lamb (20) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint H82 / W29.5 / D36 CM H32.2″ / W11.6″ / D14.1″ Seat height: H44 CM / H17.3″ (MLA506)

Image on the top right Max Lamb (28) BOX Stool, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H57 / W40 / D40 CM H22.4″ / W15.7″ / D15.7″ (MLA515)

Image on the bottom Max Lamb (30) BOX Table, 2023
Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint, Le Tonkinois Finish H40 / W145 / D85 CM H15.7″ / W57″ / D33.4″ (MLA513)

Max Lamb’s craftsmanship emerges as a tribute to the transformational force of creativity in the careful balance between form and function. His ideas, whether in furniture, ceramic dinnerware, or engineered marble, skilfully harmonise functionality with aesthetic charm.

Image on left Max Lamb (23) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed
Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint H73 / W34 / D43 CM H28.7″ / W13.4″ / D16.9″ Seat height: H45 CM / H17.7″ (MLA537)

Image on right Max Lamb (18) BOX Stool, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Le Tonkinois Finish H49 / W59 / D33.5 CM H19.3″ / W23.2″ / D13.1″ (MLA533)

His works, which have been presented at major institutions across the world, exemplify the skill of discovering beauty in the mundane. Max Lamb’s story is a celebration of inventiveness, in which recyclables are transformed into beautiful marvels, reminding us of the endless possibilities that creation unveils.

Image on left Max Lamb (26) BOX Chair, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste, Linseed Paint H82 / W55 / D47 CM H32.2″ / W21.6″ / D18.5″ Seat height: H48 CM / H18.9″ (MLA525)

Image on right Max Lamb (19) BOX Arnold Stool, 2023 Unique, Signed Cardboard, Wheat Paste H45 / W35 / D44 CM H17.7″ / W13.7″ / D17.3″ (MLA526)

Lamb’s pieces created a revolution, prompting artists all around the world to reconsider the possibilities of ordinary materials. Cardboard evolved from a functional requirement to a medium for artistic expression. Not only is cardboard magical in its simplicity but also in how it evolves. 

It also symbolises a shift of perspective, a celebration of creativity’s capacity to perceive beauty in the commonplace.  Today, cardboard masterpieces are boldly displayed in galleries and museums, demonstrating the continuing fascination of this once-overlooked medium.

Consider the extraordinary journey a cardboard box has undertaken, from shipping boxes to creative marvels, demonstrating that in the hands of ingenuity, even the most trivial material can become a source of limitless fascination. From one extreme to the other a plain material becomes a piece of beauty.

Find out more about “Max Lamb” here

Gallery FUMI 2-3 Hay Hill
London W1J 6AS, United Kingdom +44 (0)20 7490 2366

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