Location
"El Pajaro (The Bird)" (theories: connections, superstitions, and predictions)
Document Type
Poster
Start Date
22-8-2024 12:00 AM
End Date
31-12-2024 12:00 AM
Description
Abby Kirby
Psych-O Battle Vest, 2024
Fandom: Psych
Acrylic on Fabric, safety pins, bead work
Variable dimensions
Collection of the artist
Rating: Teen and Up (ie: Movies: PG, PG 13; TV: TV-PG, TV-PG14; Video Games: E10+, T)
Tags: Psych, Shawn Spencer, Cosplay
Creator's notes: I created this battle jacket following the announcement of the first Psych convention in June 2024. As a very recent fan of the show, I wanted to create something that demonstrated my passion, bringing me a sense of capital and authenticity despite being so new to the fandom. The idea for a vest comes specifically from Psych itself in the episode "Bounty Hunters!", in which Shawn makes multiple comments about how the bounty hunter in the episode derives much of his swagger from wearing a vest. The patches, all created by hand, were used not only to tell the story of Psych and make individual references to episodes, but also were made to feel like it was diegetic to the world. I wanted everything I made to feel like it was something Shawn picked up on one of his adventures, and had haphazardly sewn on without caring about if the stitches were clean. But I also tried to reflect episodes or themes I cared about to tell MY story as a fan as well: a bullet hole ("Shawn Takes A Shot in the Dark"), blood spattered Yin/Yang (The Yin Yang Trilogy), a dinosaur fossil ("65 Million Years Off"). The back panel labeled "Psych-O" is a double reference, both to the self-identifying name that fans have given themselves "Psych-Os", and to an episode in which the Psych logo on the office window has a large bloody "O" painted beside it as an homage to Hitchcock films ("Mr. Yin Presents"). Through this, I was able to create an identity for myself as a fan that was both similar and different from those around me. I also chose to include something from outside the Psych universe, a enamel pin reading "I've Read This In A Fanfic Before" as a direct reference to my own writing and background as a fanfiction scholar. In wearing the vest to the convention, it much me much of the authenticity and connection I was seeking with other fans by creating a deliberate intersection for conversation. The vest acted as a go between for myself, other fans, and the show to all engage with one another.
Psych-O Battle Vest
"El Pajaro (The Bird)" (theories: connections, superstitions, and predictions)
Abby Kirby
Psych-O Battle Vest, 2024
Fandom: Psych
Acrylic on Fabric, safety pins, bead work
Variable dimensions
Collection of the artist
Rating: Teen and Up (ie: Movies: PG, PG 13; TV: TV-PG, TV-PG14; Video Games: E10+, T)
Tags: Psych, Shawn Spencer, Cosplay
Creator's notes: I created this battle jacket following the announcement of the first Psych convention in June 2024. As a very recent fan of the show, I wanted to create something that demonstrated my passion, bringing me a sense of capital and authenticity despite being so new to the fandom. The idea for a vest comes specifically from Psych itself in the episode "Bounty Hunters!", in which Shawn makes multiple comments about how the bounty hunter in the episode derives much of his swagger from wearing a vest. The patches, all created by hand, were used not only to tell the story of Psych and make individual references to episodes, but also were made to feel like it was diegetic to the world. I wanted everything I made to feel like it was something Shawn picked up on one of his adventures, and had haphazardly sewn on without caring about if the stitches were clean. But I also tried to reflect episodes or themes I cared about to tell MY story as a fan as well: a bullet hole ("Shawn Takes A Shot in the Dark"), blood spattered Yin/Yang (The Yin Yang Trilogy), a dinosaur fossil ("65 Million Years Off"). The back panel labeled "Psych-O" is a double reference, both to the self-identifying name that fans have given themselves "Psych-Os", and to an episode in which the Psych logo on the office window has a large bloody "O" painted beside it as an homage to Hitchcock films ("Mr. Yin Presents"). Through this, I was able to create an identity for myself as a fan that was both similar and different from those around me. I also chose to include something from outside the Psych universe, a enamel pin reading "I've Read This In A Fanfic Before" as a direct reference to my own writing and background as a fanfiction scholar. In wearing the vest to the convention, it much me much of the authenticity and connection I was seeking with other fans by creating a deliberate intersection for conversation. The vest acted as a go between for myself, other fans, and the show to all engage with one another.
Comments
Much like how the artwork represents the interconnectedness between all things, so does my vest. In many ways, the patches have a similar chaotic application: randomly fit and sewn together with little reasoning to their positioning. Each episode of Psych brings its own randomness to the narrative, sometimes an episode is a hard-core homage to classic television and film (such as Twin Peaks in "Dual Spires"), sometimes its a sitcom, and other times its a grisly murder mystery. Yet, the episodes come together to form a complete narrative. But in my reason for making it, I also found a similar interconnectedness. It was a reminder of how all aspects in fandom move together. Not only did it create spaces for dialogue between myself and other fans, it made a dialogue between myself and the show. I had to reflect on the question "who am I and how do I relate to the world around me?" Fiction is tool that helps me connect to other people, especially strangers. I was able to show off my knowledge and skill, and find points of similarity between myself and another person. Creation, at its core, is about finding connection with other humans, much like the patches brought together on a vest or the electric eye of an artist.