IDOL

‘Idol’ is the second part of a collaborative project between Razvan Popa and members of the LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham. The project aims to explore the way that being a part of the growing “fan culture” movement can reveal a faction of an individual's personality, shaping their unique identity. The project focuses on a small group of people who are active members of the LGBTQ+ community in Birmingham and aims to facilitate how they are represented through the people they follow in society. The project takes the idea of having an idol, a person that influences us, to a literal level.

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The methodology used in this project involves using networking to invite people to participate. Each session starts with a creative and technical workshop where participants are given guidance on how to use a camera and a remote shutter release before shooting. After this, Razvan Popa works with the participants to find a good composition for the photographs, and then invites them to take about 25 to 30 self-portraits with his assistance. The final step is to draw a conclusion by interviewing the collaborator, an essential part of the project that accompanies the photographs in the body of work.

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The audience for ‘Idol’ will consist of outsiders and insiders of the LGBTQ+ community, and the final result will be a public offline and online document that can be easily accessed. The desired outcome is to empower and give voice to members of the LGBTQ+ community from Birmingham. The result of the project will be a zine that encapsulates the body of work, showcasing the unique identities of each participant and their idols. The project aims to inspire and empower individuals to embrace their identities and the people that influence them.