7 Jewel-Encrusted Sculptures That Are Sacred Symbols Of The Universe
Born in Portland, Maine and currently residing there, Lauren Fensterstock is a graduate of the Parsons School of Design and a 2016 United States Artist Fellow. Her portfolio boasts over six galleries where her work has been exhibited over the years and numerous museums where her work is available in public collections.
Lauren uses natural crystals such as quartz, repurposed parts of chandeliers, Swarovski gems, antique beads and glass pieces to create these jewel-encrusted sculptures. She hopes her pieces encourage those who see her work to reflect on their inner peace.
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#1I Arrange the Stars, 2024
Vintage crystal, glass, quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery.
#2Tenderly Willing(Detail), 2024
Vintage crystal, glass, quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery.
These exploding celestial objects, Lauren claims, are not just ornamental, saying, “I see my work as jewellery but not to adorn the body, but rather augment the soul. I invite viewers to pause and reflect on their place within a collective experience and embrace their perceived imperfections—acknowledging that our differences, flaws, and struggles are what make us uniquely human.”
#3I Arrange the Stars, 2024
Vintage crystal, glass, quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery.
#4I Arrange the Stars(Detail), 2024
Vintage crystal, glass, quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery.
Lauren’s latest designs are inspired by the South Asian religious and artistic practices of creating mandalas, sacred symbols of the universe and transforming these emblems into elaborate, jewel-like creations. Her intimate work is a response to, “the current climate of political polarization and social upheaval”, and she desires to “create works that offer moments of reflection and inner peace. Believing that each person can be an agent for positive change—within themselves, their community, and the greater universe—she uses her devout meditation practice as an entry point for these new works.”
#5She is Refuge, 2024
Vintage crystal, glass, quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery.
#6The Undiluted (fifth chakra)(Detail), 2023
Quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, vintage crystal, glass, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery.
Lauren further identifies each piece as a harmonious assemblage of repurposed treasures, “coming together to form wild lotus flowers, exploding planets, stars, and suns.” She adds that she “transforms these disparate elements into iconic yet malleable symbols of growth, scaling them into intimate offerings. Her lotuses burst, curl, crackle, and shatter; in one, her natal constellations are mapped into
glistening, starlike gems, while in another, the flower’s bulb takes the shape of a swirling, cavernous black hole”.
#7The Intimate Vast, 2024
Vintage crystal, glass, quartz, obsidian, tourmaline, and mixed media.
*Image courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery
Speaking about her upcoming exhibitions, Lauren hopes that, “In a culture that often emphasizes isolation and individualism, [my] work will remind viewers of the intimate flickers of connection that, together, form brilliant beams of light.”
*All images published with the permission of Claire Oliver Gallery
Shanilou Perera
Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.
