Lauren Mehl

Movements is a post-hardcore band with influences of alternative rock and spoken-word poetry. Building from the idea of water pressure and waves of emotion, this lyric animation uses typography, video, and image layering to illustrate the narrative, deeply rooted in the themes of depression, uncertainty, and the cyclical nature of mental health struggles. With always-moving and distracting background visuals, combined with simple, almost timid typography, it feels as though someone’s spoken words and thoughts are small and insignificant amongst the powerful and daunting waves of emotion represented by the driving motor of the bassist and drum set. One may not feel in charge of their emotions, or like their words are not as strong as their raw, unspoken emotion coming at them like tidal waves. The central motif of the “full circle”, whether it be a clock, spinning wheel, or abstract logic loop, symbolizes the strong driving motor and fast energy behind the central theme of this song: “This has happened before, it’ll happen again”. The song peaks at its chorus, with hard hits on the central beats to suggest a heartbeat pounding in rhythm. For this, I pictured splashing, drowning, and struggling in waves of water to get to safety. This could also be read as struggling with one’s own emotions and feeling suffocated by them.

The inspiration for this lyric video was based on the pre-established visual aesthetic associated with Melanie Martinez, blending the signifiers of vibrant plant life, natural beauty, and overgrowth with an almost rotten, "decaying" graphical context. The 12th and final song on Melanie Martinez's PORTALS is a personal exploration of the feeling of revenge, karma, and retribution toward someone who wronged you, despite being seen as "evil" for wanting it.

Have you ever witnessed something with no rational explanation? Have you ever seen a ghost, or felt like you were being watched? This Paranormal Explainer video uses image layering, graphic elements, and typographic animation to break down the contributing factors as to why some places may feel haunted, and how those factors can affect us on a subconscious level, or even contribute to what some call ghost evidence.

The Archive is an interactive Figma experience exploring the idea of emotional connection and memories being tethered to physical objects. There are clues hidden throughout each room, and the user must interact with each item to gain knowledge and apply it later on in the experience. Using authentic objects, environments, and ideas from my own life, this demo is designed to help me understand my own past experiences and process them. Each environment is a digital reflection of reality, through the lens of technological distortion. Perspective is slightly askew, and graphics are crunchy, yet somehow still able to be read as photographs. Eventually, you will come across a locked box and must search the surrounding area for clues to the solution. Opening new paths leads to new environments and objects to explore. Each key item has a special significance and plays a larger role in the narrative, which is all about uncovering codes and numbers from the past. These numbers will in turn unlock new memories, and the cycle continues until all three discs are explored.

826 National, a network of youth tutoring and writing centers, creates fantasy storefronts that sell quirky, semi-useful products for each of their locations. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is known for its vibrant culture, rich history, and a deep connection to the natural wildlife, bodies of water, and plant life native to the area. The city's residents take pride in their love for games and sports, creating an opportunity to infuse the fantasy storefront with a theme that resonates with the local community, inspiring kids to go out and catch creatures themselves.

Kurt Cobain was described in Nirvana: The Biography not as a rock star, but as an “unpredictable, weird, freaky, goofy, punk rock kid”. To display each facet of his identity, this print piece is a system of twelve cards that tells the story of Kurt Cobain using photo collage, layering, and research behind each card’s theme, all based on his life experience and role as a husband, father, musician, frontman, and the leader of the Grunge movement. There are 12 cards in total, each honoring Kurt Cobain and his essence in a different abstract sense. They are rough around the edges, burned with lighters, creased, and bent, including collaged images and various media types, that all fit the overarching theme of how Kurt and his art were truly unique to themselves and shaped by his life experiences, as authentic as he was in his own life. The collaged looks were influenced by Cobain’s own visual and musical style, often messy and oversized, loud, and in-your-face. Places he used to go, like the bridge in Aberdeen, inspired as well for the lived-in, worn, gritty feeling of these cards.