Lauren Collin

With the greatest delicacy, Lauren Collin sculpts paper with a set of scalpels. The French craftswoman creates unique paper bas-reliefs using her very own technique. Lauren originally trained and worked as an interior architect, graduating from ESAG Penninghen, in Paris in 2011. As she stepped into the professional life, working for an interior design studio, she found herself “so free in the evenings, she wanted to create with her hands”. And this is how she slowly developed her gracious technique, using scalpels initially borrowed from her father, a stomatologist. Lauren finely carves the watercolour paper, from small grammage to very thick, and of various textures; small petals emerge from the surface, creating a dialogue with light.

Lauren Collin’s sculptural paper creations are created using scalpels. She sculpts bas-reliefs from many types of textured paper, ranging from light to heavyweight grain. Her primary support is paper, but Lauren sometimes also explores other materials. Bas-relief sculptures sometimes tell stories, such as those in a church, and at times are simply decorative motifs used in interior designs. Lauren uses 100% French-made paper, made with river water, as well as recycled cotton linen and hemp rags. There are very few paper mills left in France and by continuing to buy and promote their papers through her designs, Lauren hopes to help them perpetuate their work.

Lauren Collin developed her particular sculpted paper technique following her graduation in architectural studies. She started to work as an interior architect and continued to develop her unique technique at the same time. One day, in 2015, she decided to take a leap of faith, leave her work as an interior designer and make a living from her passion. Her work was featured in the Dutko gallery, and she also had other requests for pieces. Lauren made the decision to dedicate herself to her craft because she wanted to see how far she could push the technique. Six years later, she does not regret that decision for a second and still has many paths to explore.

Magnae Chartae Exhibition