Urban Scrawls Sneaks a Peek at Bathroom Introspection

Though having only written bathroom graffiti once before, first-time director Jaime Schenk can now consider herself a specialist of stall scrabble and scriptures. Her first documentary, Urban Scrawls, literally exposes this subject matter from behind closed doors -- well, partially, anyway. Schenk enters the privacy of the bathroom stall and examines the psychology of why it is people deface public property and who, really, would do such a thing.

"It's the aloneness and honesty that can come out when other people aren't around watching," says Schenk, 27. "Being alone in that space allows a person certain freedoms that they don't have in public. I want the audience to take a look into a world that everyone has been exposed to, and for them to just get lost in the underground culture of this phenomenon."

Urban Scrawls describes bathroom graffiti as a universal form of communication, declaring it "the precursor to the World Wide Web and chatrooms." Or, as one fellow in the film proclaimed, "psychic masturbation." From musings about life to an assortment of obscenities, from inane humor to drunken witticisms, this 30-minute piece attempts to uncover the tawdry details of the WC.

But, possibly due to the tight schedule or the small budget (around $35,000), Urban Scrawls never quite accomplishes what it sets out to do. In fact, it doesn't do much more than scuff the surface of bathroom musings. But then, when trying to go in-depth into a piece and put an academic cap on a subject matter, (e.g. talking about the social, cultural, and political implications of a topic), it's no easy task condensing that into a half-an-hour flick. Whatever the case, the documentary never catches the large scope or history of graffiti. Instead, it ruminates on our connection to our animal side, remarking that women tend to be more analytical, and men more sexual, in their scribbling and drawings. Big surprise.

"There are a lot of areas within this topic that are still untouched or that can be explored in more depth as segments," admits Schenk. "For instance, I can't help but wonder what bathroom graffiti is like in foreign countries, but we might need to take a translator with us."

Still, Urban Scrawls is a pleasant piece to see, if just for the visuals. The clips are well cut and the graffiti images are fun. And, as Schenk shows in her documentary, it's always kind of fun to read other people's thoughts.

***

Schenk currently resides in Chicago and works as video engineer for the Blue Man Group. She has formed the production company Silver Lining with Urban Scrawls' cinematographer Kim C. Simms and producer Sarah Wagner Cantu, she formed the production company Silver Lining Films. The three women plan on continuing to chronicle Urban Scrawls under Silver Lining Films as a series of documentary shorts.

For more information on Urban Scrawls, go to www.urbanscrawls.com.

© Copyright 2002 Holidayness.com All rights reserved