Study: Quantifiable Evidence of Effects of Fandom
Okay, it’s not really a published study.
But, dozmuffinxc recently posted a ttmt which reminded me of my experience at the Harry Potter Exhibit.
I was fortunate enough to visit when the exhibit opened here in Chicago. This was before I had even heard of LJ, so this is a belated post.
I had one hour to absorb as much of the wonderment as I could. (My DH was watching the kids, and his limit for this exercise in frivolity was one hour. To Mooster’s credit, he loves the HP books, and is actually the one who first got me interested in them, but he just does not get the whole fandom thing.)
So. My fellow exhibiteers and I entered through an impressive hydraulic system (well, it was dark and smoky, but it was still a Diagon Alley-esque raising wall) and came upon the moving portraits. At some time, there was a sorting ceremony, but I didn’t pay much attention, because I wanted to get going to the good stuff.
I played with the mandrakes, strolled through the Quidditch pitch, thoroughly enjoyed Hagrid’s hut, tried to memorize every costume in the Great Hall, browsed the Gryffindor dormitory, and marvelled at Lockhart’s ensembles.
But all this was secondary to the Potions Corner.
It was near the beginning of the walk-through, and I stayed, gaping, for a good while before I convinced myself that I really should see the rest of the exhibit. Before I moved on, I asked one the attendants (who, by the way, had been hovering close to me because she saw how dangerously close I was getting to the velvet rope) if I could come back to this part of the exhibit. She laughed and said, “Of course! We’re open till 9 tonight! You can stay all day!” How I wished I could have!
It was amazing, standing that close to the meticulously tailored costume of my all-time most beloved literary and screen character, close enough to see the topstitching, close enough to see the weave of the fabric, close enough to touch. But I didn’t! The aforementioned attendant seemed unconcerned by my conspicuous reaction; she strolled back over to me and chatted a bit about other seamstresses she had seen go through the exhibit. Apparently my reaction was right in line with my fellow costumers.
If you would rather have Stuart Craig’s or Colleen Atwood’s autograph over Daniel Radcliffe’s, then you understand. The actors are magnificent, but the set designers, costume designers, art directors, etc., etc., are the true talent in bringing stories like Harry Potter from our imaginations to our visual cortices.
On to the quantifiable results.
I am a fair artist. My bachelor’s degree program included a good smattering of fine art courses, and I really enjoy putting pen/pencil/brush to paper.
In the interest of quantification, here is a control. This is one of the many costume sketches I’ve done for my fanfic. (This one happens to be my main character’s safari costume for an expedition to the Amazon.)
Naturally, I took my little Canson book with me to the exhibit, hoping to get lots of good design and construction details. Good luck with that. I was shaking so badly that the “sketches” are hardly discernable from random scribbles.
Every time I look back at these sketches, I chuckle to myself. I will never forget the all-encompassing feeling of fandom joy I experienced at the exhibit. I am happy and proud that something so simple can incite such joy and excitement in all of us True Fans!