ROWAN COPLEY

It's so difficult to decide on an idea for my project, there are just so many options!

"Creepiest Book Ever"
With this idea, I would 'slurp' text and images from facebook and compile a book out of it.
In my current project, I am 'slurping' my content from media websites like washingtonpost.com and nytimes.com, as well as lesser-known media websites likes blogs. However, when I arrange the content on the page, I intentionally chop up stories so bits and pieces of it will appear scattered across the page, making a slightly less-than-intelligible mish-mash of content that imitates a newspaper, yet does not let the viewer focus on the detail of a particular stories. The viewer instead is forced to look at the overall picture, the tone of the content in general and themes that tie it all together. However, I (am trying to) insinuate hidden dimensions into the story by juxtaposing stories that make the viewer skeptical about the surface meaning of the content.
Taking this idea and bringing it a lot closer to home, I would take text and images from facebook and arrange them in a similar way. Since facebook is naturally non-linear, I would need to figure out a way to juxtapose the content in a way to tell the kind of story I would want to - which would most likely involve the insinuation of a fantastical dimension to the seeming banality of never-ending drunky-faced photos.

"Faces of Power: St. Mary's Edition"
This idea would require me to photograph students in important positions of power on campus a la Richard Avedon - the SGA president, people at The Point News, senators, club presidents, influential people, well-known people. The main point of the book would be to parody Avedon, of course. Since most of the people photographed would be at least somewhat recognizable, it would be funny to see them in the context of a serious piece about people in power - since when do these people have any 'real' power, we would demand? But behind the parody would be the idea that actually, power exists in a lot more places than we realize. However, probably not many people besides myself would find the book funny.

"Cannabis Should Be Legal, and Everyone Knows It"
This book would both celebrate cannabis culture as it exists today, and explore the punishment people receive from being caught enjoying the harmless drug. It would be far more than a clichéd pothead-friendly book, hopefully: after all, isn't it an interesting commentary on the hypocrisy of an America that will elect and practically worship a man who spent much of his youth enjoying cannabis and other recreational drugs; whereas our most prized athlete might be facing legal repercussions for a picture put online of him indulging in the drug? Not to mention that we have by far the largest percentage of incarcerated people in the world, many of whom are in prison for non-violent drug offenses.