Lauren Goodman revamps discarded objects in ‘The Providence project’

Canadian artist and educator Lauren Goodman examines the potential of discarded objects salvaged from the skips of Providence, Rhode Island. ‘The Providence Project’ features chairs and a table made by assembling found metal scraps including a rebar, crushed tubing and metal wire into functional and aesthetic furniture pieces. Goodman attempts to transform and extend the life-span of objects that have otherwise been cast away and forgotten. The bedrock of Goodmans design ethos is to incorporate non-exploitative design solutions that foreground local communities and reduce environmental harm. Goodman’s collection brings to light our tendency to undervalue items, tossing pure potential in a ditch.

The Providence Project centralizes under-represented models of production and undervalued resources. Made from discarded materials scavenged by Goodman, the inspiration for the project emerged directly from her surroundings, creating a portrait of Providence as furniture. The original function (such as an ironing board structure) of the pieces can be identified by looking closely at the furniture pieces. All the pieces in the collection were made without using expensive tools or machinery. Instead the artist has used techniques including forging, welding, casting and spray painting. She gave a finish to the reshaped metal pieces with oxy-acetylene and a monochrome paint finish to provide a polished veil for the scrap steel beneath.

An alumnus of the Rhode Island School of Design, where she currently teaches in the Furniture Design department, Goodman is committed to educating designers on the possibilities of a practice driven by waste reduction and strives to find balance between user, product and environment. She seeks to uncover a less extractive approach to design espoused through alternative material sourcing. Her minimalist, delicate design sensibility subtly draws attention to more eco-friendly design alternatives, whilst infusing poetry into the upcycling dialogue. Her recent collection also includes, ‘This Trash is Someone Else’s Problem’ which is an experiment in location-based design. This included research and education about local communities, land, labour history and Indigenous stewardship, and working exclusively with materials gleaned from a specific area. Through her work, Goodman embraces responsive approaches to the local environment and the communities that steward and neglect it.