FILM 1862: MARWENCOL
On April 8, 2000, Mark Hogancamp was attacked outside of a bar by five men who beat him nearly to death after he told them he was a cross-dresser. After nine days in a coma and 40 days in the hospital, Hogancamp was discharged with brain damage that left him little memory of his previous life. Unable to afford therapy, he created his own by building a 1/6-scale World War II-era Belgiantown in his yard and populating it with dolls representing himself, his friends, and even his attackers. He called the town "Marwencol," blending the names "Mark," "Wendy" and "Colleen."
Hogancamp was initially discovered by photographer David Naugle, who documented and shared his story with Esopus magazine, whereby his work was shown in a New York art gallery.
TRIVIA: For the film's premiere Mark prepared a story line including the delivery by courier of a 1/6th scale press kit to the village of Marwencol.
This film is also known as Village of the Dolls in the UK.
This film is inspiration for ‘Welcome to Marwen,’ a 2018 drama directed by Robert Zemeckis.
BOOK: Welcome to Marwencol is an art book by Mark Hogancamp and Chris Shellen published in 2015 by Princeton Architectural Press. It explores the life and work of Hogancamp. It was named one of the best books of 2015 by Amazon.
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