We are excited to present ‘Fanのblog 迷妹の部屋’, the final public program in Ye Funa’s four-month library residency. In this concluding chapter to ‘Get Low, Like Bumpkin Cannon’ (土炮之书), Ye and her collaborators dive into the formation of subculture, fandom, and the pursuit and formation of new identities.
Conceived as a four-part fan blog, the program will feature four performance presentations by artist and writer Yasmine Anlan Huang, artist-filmmaker Bart Seng Wen Long, animation director Ruini Shi, and Ye herself. After, they will join a panel discussion to ‘confess’ how they’ve found themselves lost in the passion of ‘mi迷’ (being a fan), and discuss the origin and intersections of fandom subcultures.
Photo credit: Ruini Shi
Dear Art Lover,
Have you ever felt a dreamy, gem-like emotion that envelops you in its soft warm glow? Welcome to ‘Fanのblog 迷妹の部屋,’ a panel of four performance presentations, where we explore the mystical feelings of fandom subcultures in four unique ‘blog posts’. Step into the affective dimensions of adoration, devotion, and vulnerability, and experience what it means to be lost in passion and become utterly obsessed with something — an idol, a character, a song, an object, or just about anything. Marking our last invitation to you, we promise this journey will be surprising, confusing, and oh-so-satisfying.
§ Call blog 打call部屋 by Ruini Shi
Even in death, the devotion to idols continues. In FuneralPlay, a virtual funeral platform on Web 3.0, you can support your idols and lost loved ones beyond the grave by custom-making digital mausoleums tailored to the deceased’s interests; from a cat-meme maker’s gallery and fangirls’ party, to an otakus retreat and a Feng Shui master’s orchard. Forming a collective post-mortem online memorial, Ruini Shi will show us the magic behind how she transformed and gamified the concept of fandom into a digital afterlife.
§ Confusion blog 迷惑部屋 by Bart Seng Wen Long & Kawaii.agency
In the ‘Confusion blog,’ everyone can shine like an idol! Enter the realm of Kawaii.agency — a quirky, cute, and slightly cursed project by Bart Seng Wen Long and Juliusz Grabianski. Embrace Gen Z aesthetics and post-internet culture in a playful, contemporary setting.
§ Pick Ur Idol blog 偶像pickの部屋by Yasmine Anlan Huang
Dive deep into your emotions in the ‘Pick Ur Idol blog’ and express your feelings for your idol with heartfelt messages that scroll across the screen. In 2018, Huang passed the auditions for AKB48 Team SH, a Chinese sister group of the Japanese idol musical group AKB48, but decided to leave Hong Kong for New York to pursue art. Huang will share her love-hate relationship with the idol industry and her unique journey as a fan, idol-wannabe, and cultural anthropologist.
§ Fan Fiction blog 手紙の部屋 by Ye Funa & MondayOFF
Peek, follow, and chase your idol in the ‘Fan Fiction blog’, where fan fiction comes to life! Meet Xiaomei, the fangirl and idol who could be anyone, by reading pages in MondayOFF, a self-published zine that explores the passionate and sometimes crazy world of fans. Relevant chapters include ‘#Fan Quan: A fangirl’s daily routine’, ‘How to “raise” an idol: Internet star-making’, and ‘Alpha Beta Omega dynamics in fan fiction’. There’s only room for laser-focused love, endless devotion, and positive vibes!
Come explore this dreamy world together and bask in the power of love and cuteness.
Lovingly
xoxo