Months later, without insurance, he was discharged from a Kingston, N.Y., hospital, his rehabilitation far from over.
His ordeal is documented in Jeff Malmberg’s film Marwencol, screening at The Revue Tuesday, Feb. 1 to Thursday, Feb. 3. Receiving praise from critics, Marwencol is also the name of a miniature town Hogancamp created in his backyard as he sought solace from the assault. Last year, Malmberg earned the HBO Films Emerging Artist Award at the Hot Docs film festival.
The miniature town, with a World War II theme, became his ersatz rehabilitation centre. Inhabited by dozens of Barbie and G.I Joe dolls representing people in Hogancamp’s life, both past and present, Hogancamp indulged in a fantasy world of intricate storylines which have allowed him to understand his former life and the demons that shadowed him. Through the construction of miniature buildings and painting of characters, he has improved his dexterity and hand-eye coordination.
The town is immaculately detailed: enlistment posters and a picture of Jean Harlow adorn the wall of the bar owned by Hogancamp’s alter-ego; the wheels on the jeeps are worn; and the results of warfare and gunfights — all documented with a 35mm camera — wreak of gritty realism, despite the dolls’ celluloid constitution.
In one scenario, Hogancamp recreated the trauma inflicted upon him when his alter-ego was attacked and beaten by Nazis who’d infiltrated his village. They also represented his former alcoholic self, angrily beating him to disclose the whereabouts of the bar he runs.
“Art is a very powerful way to say things that are beyond words,” says Toronto psychotherapist Linda Chapman, who specializes in art therapy.
“Aspects of trauma often begin in a non-verbal manner.” She adds that creating the art is sometimes a bridge to speak about the trauma.
Before the attack, Hogancamp had been married, an alcoholic who documented his slow downfall through a series of journals, and a superb artist — his drawings reminiscent of Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon comic strips.
Although unorthodox, Hogancamp’s recovery uncovered an artistic past and a new means of artistic expression. Visit the Marwencol website.
This article first appeared in the Toronto Star.