BFA Graduate: Lauren Diggs

Lauren Diggs
Strange Ways

"I have always been fascinated by human behavior. Observing other humans has made me realize how unique some of our behaviors are. I’m especially curious about our reactions to frustration or anxiety. It seems that these emotions can become physically painful, mimicking the sensation of needles in one’s eye. More curious how we deal with these emotions, finding solace in a medicated state of mind.

More recently, I have become interested in the way that humans interact with their environment. While we are a part of nature, we often react to it in entirely unnatural ways. I have found that rather than living with the natural world, we tend to destroy it, sterilize it, build structures upon it, and then attempt to recreate it in designated areas. I address these ideas in my work by using geometric and natural forms that occupy the same space, much like human structures and plants or insects do.

By creating these ideas in metal, I feel that it gives them structure, makes them more permanent and relatable. I hope that in viewing these pieces, people take the opportunity to consider their own emotions and reactions. I want people to think about these strange behaviors and the way that they make us uniquely human. "