Artist Laurie Frick says that numbers are abstract concepts and our recognition of a pattern is intuitive. We have the ability to sense something’s repetition and frequency, but are taught numerals. Despite the ease in which we understand patterns, our lives are documented with digits, like how long the commute to work takes, or the amount of money spent on lunch. Instead of expressing events in numbers, Frick experiments with patterns that mark the condition of our daily selves, something she calls “human data portraits.” Using 3D printing and laser cutters, intricate designs are carved in wood and suspended from the ceiling in this installation titled Walking, Eating, Sleeping.
Frick’s art is layered and stacked, featuring patterns encased in rectangular compositions. They vary by piece and abstractly depict how groups of people experience things in a day. Walking, for instance, looks like a map of a city, with gridded roads and clusters of buildings. The work is hung at different levels and directions, referencing multiple lives and timelines. They are a visual record of how we feel, our stress level, and mood. The result of Frick’s findings produce beautiful cutouts that are enjoyed both intellectually as well as aesthetically.
