Lauren Davies Projects

Siege, 2024

Since SHED Projects first opened its doors, the historic Pearl Road property has been in a constant state of transformation, blending the realms of art, home, and construction. I drew inspiration from the site’s evolving nature, comparing it to a battlefield, with bricks, rubble, and tools representing the ongoing struggle for control and creation. The site-specific installation presented various flag-like structures that symbolize both victory and failure. The flags, created from photographs of the construction site printed on heavy outdoor vinyl, are juxtaposed against piles of rubble and bricks. The installation reflects the delicate balance between demolition and restoration, capturing the tension and progress of SHED’s renovations.

This photo-sculpture series began some years back during a residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute. The residency spurred my interest in getting out of the studio and moving into the world with a better camera. During this time in New Mexico, I photographed a number of odd and unexplainable situations that appeared almost like works in progress that had been suddenly abandoned by an unknown maker with no clear intentions.

I photographed a number of these peculiar scenarios and eventually printed the images in large scale on materials such as vinyl, fabric and fleecy blankets. My photo-sculpture combinations moved these documented scenarios into the realm of multi-dimensional visual mash-ups. The actual material is folded into a relationship with a photograph of the same material that had appeared in another situation. These photo-sculpture combinations result in something that is riffing on trompe-l’oeil tricksterism and garish advertising meshed with a slightly nonsensical collaboration with the anonymous efforts of an unknown participant.

Photograph of a pillow case printed on a pillow case at Transformer Station, Cleveland, OH, 2020

Woven photograph, collaged fabrics and dye.

76”x70”

Retail Landscape, 2017 (left)

Photograph printed on fabric with wood, paint and cinder blocks, 101" x 98"

Trying to Understand a Shadow, 2017 (center)

Photograph on aluminum, clay object, paint and thread on shelf, 15.5" x 24" x 6"

Youngstown 4, 2016 (right)

Deconstructed woven photograph, 56"x32"

Photograph printed on fabric with wood and cinder blocks.

101" x 98"

Photograph on aluminum, clay object, paint and thread on shelf, 15.5" x 24" x 6"

Photograph printed on fabric with OSB panel and polyvinyl tarp.

70" x 55"

Photograph printed on fabric with fabric border, wood, paint and cinder blocks.

74" x 55"

Photographs of stains printed on cotton

30" x 22", each

Photograph of a stain printed on cotton.

30" x 22"

Photograph of a stain printed on cotton. 

30" x 22"

Photograph of a stain printed on cotton. 

30" x 22"

Installation view from Looking After at ampersand arts, San Francisco, CA

Mixed media object, panels and pigment prints with ash.

Pigment print on panel with ash.

10" x 14"