Why make a mark ?

I didn’t create this question. Its what a space does to me.

I am inside a university where I am suppose to draw on the walls. The ‘suppose’ is also created by me to do something creative inside a space. I can call that “mark making” or something “immediate” in nature.  So far it means, the thoughts what come to my mind, are transferred from within me through the gesture, movement of my hand on to the white painted walls or ply board. Here I also have to deal with the “architecture” of the space, the stair case, the water cooler place, the windows, how the walls fold in directions, the spaces which have shades, the areas which are exposed to the eye and the flat large walls.

Today being my first day in the space, I’ve realised that there is a need by me to experience the ongoing rhetoric, lectures, seminars, talks, protests, conversations, debates inside the university. I intend to soak in such experiences and see how it is created in the form of “mark making”.

My first day was inside a seminar by a Russian Philosopher who spoke about the loss / change in language. Like changing my language of punjabi, english to french or another language. I realised that the talk generated sketches inside my sketchbook but I also drew from observation while listening to him. I drew a movement of a sandal being fitted on a foot. I noticed the dog lying down next to the most prominent Sculpture on the Campus.

As I made my way back to the Gallery, an object inside the washroom struck my attention. And that was ‘moment enough’ for me to draw it out on the wall as my first act of “mark making”.

 

‘moment enough’ could be defined as a moment which holds many more layered meanings in one’s own history and in my case, exploring the practice of humour. A possible way to say something indirectly or in this case, I heard the administration staff and the security guard talking loudly after my first sketch. I felt they were arguing – What does this sketch mean? It was enough for me to start celebrating and distribute sweets on the campus. But i didn’t do that.

Another first year student from the Philosophy department came up and spoke about movement and failing to understand the reality of things. And how everything was changing all the time. That my face would change into something un recognisable the very next moment. And I imagined my face being crushed by a bull dozer. He would repeat it once every two sentences and i visualised my face flattened.

I think the mark gets made because I have trained myself to make marks only. And these marks are visual forms. And these visual forms are structured through lines. And these lines make an image. I think this is a method.