Actually, I'm a huge fan of GFRIEND and VIVIZ (VIVIZ is a new group consisting of three GFRIEND members). I even attended VIVIZ's world tour just two days before traveling to LL15 in New Zealand. However, since the official disbandment of GFRIEND in May 2021, the Thai GFRIEND fandom has become partly inactive. Therefore, in this project, I decided to investigate fandoms that are still quite active, hosting café events from time to time, so I could attend and document the events. As a result, I chose BTS, (G)I-DLE, Stray Kids, and aespa due to the activeness of their fandom activities and my access to these fandoms.

As I've mentioned, I went to VIVIZ's world tour last month. I managed to hand out some giveaway photocards at the concert site as well. In my opinion, giveaways are an important visual object in the "fanscape." While doing this, I realized that making giveaways isn't easy at all. From the design, theme, visual elements such as fonts, color, background, to the synergy between the picture of the artist and the materials, every aspect is intricate. I noticed that many meanings were constructed through this process, and they are totally multi-layered and complex. Who knew that making a photocard could mean so much to the maker, the receiver, and, surely, the artist?

Although I handed out these photocards during VIVIZ's concert, I think most of VIVIZ's fans are GFRIEND's fans as well, so I plan to hand out photocards of all GFRIEND members. Note that at the upper left corner of the photocard, you will see some German words. They come from a poem by a German poet called Heinrich Heine. The poem was later adapted into a music cycle by Robert Schumann. A GFRIEND song called Summer Rain used the melody from Schumann's song as the intro. So, as a German learner, I intended to insert some Easter eggs in my giveaway photocards. By the way, the poem originally conveys the feeling of longing for someone special, resonating with GFRIEND's fans longing for GFRIEND again.