Salon 94 D — Inventory

Lamb’s exhibition, called Inventory, was part of a dual exhibition at Salon 94 in New York.

Walking into the gallery, a series of irregular, colorful, shaped furniture-liked bulks lay before my eyes. Max Lamb is a furniture designer known for unusual approaches to using natural materials. With collections like Western Red Cedar, Lamb experimented with ways to assemble pieces of wood that were otherwise unusable, creating sculptural forms that work with the natural shape of the wood.

In most of his works, the Chair is an object that has always been created. The reason I chose this exhibition is because I am a big fan of collecting chairs.

Chair, is a basic but unique object. It provides basic functions in our lives but has the most extended interaction with the human body when people are awake.

The design of chairs in different eras most intuitively reflects the changes in design concepts. The best designers of every era are constantly challenging the design of chairs. We need different chairs in different scenes: chairs for dining, working, watching TV, dressing up, and outdoor use. Every time I see a chair, I can’t wait to explore the story behind each chair. An excellent chair design embodies the designer’s control over shape, color, and material and embodies the aesthetic epitome of the times. My favorite Tulip Armchair, designed by Eero Saarinen, seems to be a meteorite dropped into the science fiction wave of the 1960s, breaking this period’s fearful and depressing atmosphere.

The Tulip Chair presents a unique interpretation of white plastic material. Its flower-like shape seems to have just emerged from the soil and is blooming. But, aside from its organic form, there’s nothing handcrafted about its design. It represents the fantasy of futurism in that era.

Back to Inventory ar S94D. Lamb’s chairs are heavy, but they breathe. His works use many natural materials and composite materials, which are more like works of art placed at home. The craftsmanship of Lamb’s works seems straightforward: cutting, carving, casting, folding… without destroying the original texture of the material. Natural materials such as stone, wood, metal, and so on are treated in seemingly rough ways. Reorganize the design to bring authenticity and simplicity to the materials. Looking at Lamb’s works inspired me to feel the existence of existing things and focus on exploring the unknown. Chair is simple but full of possible.