Welcome to Patrick's SMALL UNIVERSE!
1. The Unusual Idols- Meet ProducePandas
What images do you depict as someone asks you to imagine what an idol should look like? Do you think about Korean boybands that shine on the stage, or you cannot stop thinking about divas such as Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga? While those depictions already show how diver idols can be, can you imagine that a group of chubby boys can also dance and sing just like other celebrities?
In July of 2020, ProducePandas dubbed the first plus-size boy band in China, debuted with five members named Husky, Mr. Seventeen, Dingding, Otter, and Cass. Unlike the team members in traditional boybands who need to control their body weight, the members in ProducePandas do not have such concern, and their manager even requires them to eat well. However, they still need to practice dancing and singing for hours per day and handle their busy schedules.
Photo:
Nowadays, magazines are mostly occupied with fancy celebrities or models with attractive body shapes. But what would it be like if ProducePandas appeared on the cover of Vogue, Rolling Stones, or Time? Combining photos of ProducePandas with logos and titles of fashion magazines, I want to show that chubby boys can also be as attractive as other traditional idols.
Illustration:
Last year, I watched an interview about ProducePandas. According to the team members, they were once unconfident due to their body weight, and none of them had ever thought about being a celebrity who could one day dance and sing in front of crowds. Inspired by this interview, I want to create an illustration in which the members of ProducePandas meet themselves from the past and encourage the younger ones to chase their dreams and ignore the hateful comments from those who believe that chubby boys cannot dance.
Video:
From 2020 to 2022, the public has witnessed the huge progress and hardships that ProducePandas has been through. For the video project, I want to choose one of my favorite ProducePandas songs and create a video that tells the most memorable moments in their career. I believe that this video can also encourage chubby boys and girls like them to show themselves proudly and be confident.
2. Love Is Love- A Celebration of The LGBTQ Community
Bravely showing yourself is widely encouraged as we live in a world full of diversity. But how would you respond to your kid coming out as a homosexual? The topic of the LGBTQ community has been controversial in mainland China. While the Chinese traditional culture about family honor has been undermining the LGBTQ community, the Chinese government is ignoring the rights of this community as well, causing an unfriendly social environment for the huge community.
Photo:
Let's pour rainbows on the street and everywhere! For this project, I want to take pictures of our campus' famous landscapes and buildings and add rainbows to these pictures. For example, a picture of Storke tower can be taken, and I may create a rainbow waterfall that falls from the top of Storke Tower. Or I can shoot a picture of Campbell hall and create a firework with colors from the rainbow flag blooms behind it. This project is for every UCSB student to understand that our campus is a place full of diversity and mutual respect. The LGBTQ community on our campus also supports each other and works hard to form a stronger community bond.
Illustration:
Before I get the illustrations started, I want to collect several selfies from the LGBTQ members on our campus. After this, I will email them and ask what kind of makeup and background they want me to add as I change their photos into illustrations. From my perspective, this works help the members of this community to proudly show who they are and encourage more members of the LGBTQ community to be proud of their identity.
Video:
As a fan of LGBTQ-themed films, I was deeply touched when I watched Brokeback Mountain, a milestone in LGBTQ film history. With such passion for this genre, I want to select some of my favorite LGBTQ films and create a movie mixed cut. I believe that this project allows more people to realize that "love is love," and the romantic relationships in the LGBTQ community can also be as great as those in the heterosexual community.
3. How Can We Save Them?- Homeless Animals
People think about endangered animals when they hear the word "animal protection." While the species in the natural environment are suffering from human's overly exploitation of natural resources and facing a risk of extinction, the homeless animals, such as stray dogs and cats, are also worth our attention. On the one hand, overly populated stray animals in cities are causing potential danger for kids and seniors. As the homeless animals are living with a human, they increase the spread of disease and even damage the local ecosystem. On the other hand, as we are living in a world that encourages us to care for and respect other species, we should carry the responsibility to provide a safe living environment for homeless animals.
Photo:
Creating a photo in which half of the picture is a homeless dog suffering from skin disease and dehumanizing treatments, and the other half is a well-treated dog enjoying its life in a warm family. I hope this work can generate more empathy towards stray animals among my audiences, and the contrast formed a strong emotional appeal.
Illustration:
In this illustration, a boy squats on the ground, reaches out his hands, and welcomes the dog running to him. This work includes a sense of hope as it provides a vivid and touching image that shows the audience how great they can change the animals' lives as long as they reach out their hands and offer help.
Video:
A montage that includes scenes from animal films is presented to my audience with the background music. As my audiences watch the video, they can connect emotionally to the relationship between animals and humans raised in the films, encouraging them to care more about the homeless animals around them.