Hollywood and Vancouver may not have much in common, but that didn’t stop Lindsey Norberg from bringing some iconic Hollywood imagery recently to the Clark College campus.
For her final assignment in a two-dimensional design class, Norberg, 26, remade the classic Hollywood sign to read “Clarkwood.” She attached the pieces of foam insulation board to wooden stakes, so each letter stood about six feet off the ground. She got permission from the school to place her project on the campus lawn between the O’Connell Sports Center and Baird Hall on March 18.
“It felt like a lot of people were talking about it throughout the day,” Norberg said. “People who didn’t know I made it were asking me if I saw it. That was pretty cool. I saw a lot of people taking pictures of it, and people seemed to realize it was supposed to be the Hollywood sign, so that was nice.”
The final assignment was to reappropriate something well-known, and Norberg said she could’ve done something such as Photoshop a famous picture, but she decided to go a bit bigger.
“I like taking on too much and seeing what I can do,” she said.
Norberg got the idea after coming across a picture of the Hollywood sign. She said she decided to go with her Clarkwood idea partly because she’s a fan of classic Hollywood, especially the films of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe.
Once she had her idea, Norberg also needed some help cutting the letters, so she put a message on Facebook. A soon-to-be friend, Will Barlow, said he could help.
“I think he’s a friend of a friend, but I’m still not sure how he saw my posting,” Norberg said. “He was great, though. We picked up the supplies and worked at his shop. We cut all the letters with saws.”
Norberg completed her project in about six hours.
The Clarkwood sign stayed on the campus lawn from about 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Norberg said once her teachers, classmates and family saw how big it was, they were shocked. She also said that her class went outside to view the project, so her classmates could do their group critique of it, which went very positively.
Part of the reason Norberg wanted to make such a large, public project was because of the supportive nature of the school community. Even though Norberg was born, and still lives, in Vancouver, she said she didn’t expect to end up attending Clark College. However, now at the end of her first year at the school, she loves the environment.
“My teacher for this class, Grant Hottle, and all the teachers really encourage and push me to do more,” she said. “I just wanted to make something that the school could be proud of and show off.”
As for the current whereabouts of the sign, Norberg said she’s still looking for a new home.
“It’s just chilling in the back of my car now while I try to figure out what to do with it,” she said. “I’d love if the school wanted to put it somewhere, or if they wanted me to make a more permanent version of the sign.”
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