All Photos By Gail

Seemingly random bits of e-waste make up the Ore Streams collection of office furniture, designed by Italian duo Formafantasma.

Cabinet (2017)  is a clear glass-encased filling cabinet created from up-cycled aluminum computer cases embellished with a digital print of the surface of Mars, a reference to the extra-terrestrial origins of gold, which is widely thought to have arrived on earth via a meteorite shower.

Cabinet, Front Drawer Detail

Formafantasma’s Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin created cabinet and accompanying furniture series as part of their Ore Streams project, a two-year study into the current state of electronic waste recycling that proposes new approaches for designers working on gadgets. The furniture is designed as a poetic response to the findings.

Cabinet, Side and Rear Detail

The pastel-hued metallic objects incorporate decontextualized bits of electronic waste, like the casings from iPhones and laptop keyboards. One cubicle features a pigeonhole formed from a microwave, while a rubbish bin is lined with gold scavenged from circuit boards.

The duo chose objects that were familiar within the office, but made them slightly odd and unfamiliar. In addition to the filing cabinet, the collection includes a table, rubbish bin, two cubicles, a desk, chair, lamp and shelf, all made primarily of dead stock.

Photographed in the Giustini / Stagetti Booth at the Salon Art and Design, at the NYC Armory in November of 2018.