I Got Written Up by Anoush Froundjian

Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Dumbo Arts Festival, and see (and participate in) some wonderful works of art. One of my favorites was by Anoush Froundjian. I met Anoush through a friend, who also happens to photograph for her, and is working on a film about her work.

Anoush is an interactive performance artist. She goes to some very cool events and engages people, asking them to write on her. You’d be amazed at how many people jump at the chance, and snatch that marker out of her hand. (She recently went to Mercedez Benz Fashion Week, read more about that here.)

Anoush wears a large mens tshirt and fills it with stickers, post its, or some other relevant piece of paper, and picks a question of the day. At the Dumbo Arts Festival the question was “Would you like to write down your superhero name?” It was interesting to see Anoush warm up, and ‘get into character’. One minute she was looking around, wondering who to approach, and before I knew it she was in full force, asking the question and getting all sorts of answers!

A little from Anoush:

“I Got Written Up” is an interactive project where I go to different locations to get written on. I cover myself in paper; ask everyone a question; and allow them to answer with the sharpies I provide.  Previous questions have been “What do you want the most?” “What’s your superhero name?” and “What do you think about when you’re on the train?” The idea is to offer each person a blank slate to make their own (without the pressure of making it perfect.) When a person gets an idea and honors it by writing it down, the idea becomes an energy on its own. I end up embodying this human-sized brainstorm composed by all the writers who bring it to life. 

I enjoy doing this a lot. I’ve learned that a tiny idea can really change things in a huge way (if you write it down.) 

I feel lucky to have been part of the process and I’m thankful to both Anoush and Meena for asking me along!

{Photography and video by Meena Sajwani}

Find Anoush:

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