“ARCANUM” Cyber Gallery
Patrick G. Lee: KQTxProject
KQTxProject
Patrick G. Lee, constructed by gabbah baya and Natalie Valcourt, Cyber Nightclub, 2020. Four video screens, projected into space.
Patrick G. Lee (Virgo) shares scenes from his upcoming documentary, UNTITLED KQT PROJECT. The film follows a crew of queer and trans nightlife performers in Seoul as they navigate life during pandemic times, all while joyfully rejecting societal pressures to conform. On November 19, 2020, Lee and his collaborators held a community work-in-progress screening over Zoom, which featured a discussion with special guest, best-selling author R.O. Kwon. Attendees were invited to participate in the filmmaking process by discussing reactions to the scenes, asking questions of the project team, and sharing their hopes for how the final film shapes up.
In Lee’s digital dreamscape, four short clips from the film’s nightclub scenes are projected into space, creating four walls to surround a celestial dance floor. Pictured above, dancing, multicolor lights shower and halo clubgoers on one screen, as Mini, a nightlife performer, readies her face mask, adapting her creative process to contemporary conditions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The artworks in this gallery can be viewed within a playable video game, an immerse dreamscape constructed by gabbah baya and Natalie Valcourt, with an audio score by HiFadility.
Please note that this game is not compatible with Safari, or mobile phones. It is best played on a desktop (Mac or PC) using Chrome or Firefox.
Above (from top left to bottom right): 1-4: KQT Project Community Screening attendees close out the event with a dance party in their homes; 5. Onstage silhouette, excerpt of Untitled KQT Project, 2020, GIF. The outline of a performer is cascaded by the cosmically purple glow of a spotlight; 6. Mini backstage, excerpt of Untitled KQT Project, 2020, GIF. Mini readies her mask, adapting her creative process to contemporary conditions; 7. Sanitizer, excerpt of Untitled KQT Project, 2020, GIF. A caring community member pumps disinfectant before strolling into a Seoul nightclub; 8. Jungle at club, excerpt of Untitled KQT Project, 2020, GIF. Dancing, multicolor lights shower and halo clubgoers in Seoul, Korea
ABOUT PATRICK G. LEE
Image by Felicita “Felli” Maynard for the 2020 Queer|Art Community Portrait Project
Patrick G. Lee is a queer Korean American documentary filmmaker, writer, and community organizer. He’s interested in building collaborative, community-based models of filmmaking that reject traditional hierarchies of authority and that equip queer and trans people of color with media-making skills. Patrick has made films about Asian American coming out stories, LGBTQ self-representation, and queer Asian history. His reporting has appeared in Mother Jones, ProPublica, The Atlantic, CNN.com, and more. In 2018, Patrick helped organize KQTcon, the first national Korean queer and trans conference in the US. His favorite snack is kongjang (soy-braised black beans).
Links: Website, Instagram