LAUREN E. C.

One Mark Against Many PLEASE Take a penny if you noticed me Video Read before or after video at own discretion           Homelessness is a constant in the United States, and in St. Augustine it is no different. It is difficult to walk down a busy street without encountering someone huddled up in a corner in dingy clothing, or sprawled across a stone bench with a small bag of their possessions. So for my video, I wanted to see how people react to someone like this. Would they look away? Would they speak to me? Would they read my sign?  My sign read:                                             PLEASE Take a penny if you noticed me           In preparation for this, I wanted to look and feel the part. I didn't shower for several days, I limited my diet, and on the day of, I rubbed dirt onto my hands and face. It is this that I believe caused me to contract an illness that evening, which I am currently fighting.            I did not expect the reaction I received. Wh

A Million Marks off Paper What's Your Name Video           I did a lot of thinking leading up to this project. I wanted to toy with the idea of using words or sounds as a mark, but I wanted to make sure I got several, unique reactions. If were to approach people, shove my camera in their face, and say something entirely random or strange, I was concerned that, not only would I receive several complaints, but the finished product would be without any substantive meaning.           That's why, for my mark, I chose to ask people for their name. A name is something everyone has, their voice is what makes it unique. Your name and your year of birth are two of the only things most people know when they are alive, and are left with when they die. I found it fascinating how many people said their name as a question, as if they were unsure of it, while others said their full name proudly. Others still, of course, treated it like a joke and did not both to say their name, but I bel

A Million Marks on Paper Untitled Pastel on paper In Class: Close up of in class drawing: In Class Mark Count: 11,111 Final: Final Mark Count: 55,100

Movement as Mark Battery Oil paint on paper                 For this assignment, the class was tasked with creating marks using nontraditional methods. Instead of using a brush, pen, etc., we were to use a movement that created a mark which could not traditionally replicated. In this case, a pen could hypothetically be used, for example by fastening it to your wrist and snapping your fingers near the paper, thereby creating flicks with the ink that would be hard to reproduce any other way.           In the case of my project, I opted for a more violent approach, so to speak. When presented with the assignment, the first thing that came to my mind was punching. What sort of mark would that leave? Originally, I toyed with the idea of coating my hands in charcoal and punching the paper. However, I decided this choice would likely leave very soft, dusty marks, and I wanted to make sure the marks created were hard and solid, so I chose oil paint.           The process was simple en