K-Pop and Me: A Personal Journey through K-Pop Culture

This final project was born of my nine years as a K-Pop fan living and operating in this genre’s visual and communal cultural space. In the research, I examined how unique videos, choreographies, sound, and aesthetics created an experience that has shaped my identity and memories. Through personal analysis and a critical perspective, I ask about the identity of the idol as a complex, fluid representation; the image of the idol as divine; and suffering as a crucial element in the idol’s creation. In this project, I examine who I am vis-à-vis the idol, and who they are vis-à-vis me. What is my place as a fan, as part of a community that nourishes the genre with every like, share, and purchase? By creating an original fan album, the project features K-Pop as a cultural space that includes language, symbols, and dress and behavior codes that promote a sense of communal belonging. Credits: Research- Nitzan Zaburof Research Executive Supervisor- Dr. Tal Frenkel Alroy, Prof. Ory Bartal Creative Director- Nitzan Zaburof Executive Producer- Nitzan Zaburof Photographer- Itay Libenson Graphic Designer- Kaya Avshelomi