About

​Lauren Lederman creates art under the name Hanum (pronounced ha-noom), a name given to her by her grandmother, who greatly inspires her creative practice. Lauren began her journey in woodworking and sculpture in 2022. After a decade of working in social justice organizations, Lauren took a giant leap and, with no prior woodworking experience, moved to Scotland to attend a 30-week Furniture Making Course. She is a graduate of The Chippendale International School of Furniture's Professional Course and a member of the Fine Furniture Guild.

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Lauren seeks to queer the inherited language of woodwork and the body alike, undoing the boundaries between utility and ornament, structure and expression. Lauren's background in dance anchors how she understands form: as something lived, felt, and constantly negotiating space. Utilizing her craft to explore mental health, light – both as material and metaphor, and social and political structures, she creates forms that quietly disrupt what craft is supposed to look like, who it is supposed to serve, and what identities it has been historically asked to reinforce. Her overarching goal is for her craft to function as a way to both translate interior experience into a form others can encounter, study, and feel, and a way to make sense of the world around us and our roles within it.