July 15-18, 2010
Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Living the Magical Life: Wizarding Society of Harry Potter as an Emerging Subculture
Tom and Bella Forrister
In contemporary society, many forms of “alternative lifestyles” exist—including a number of lifestyles based on fictionalized or otherwise imagined ways of life, including individuals and families who live as pirates, vampires, knights, elves, etcetera. This survey workshop will discuss the growing number of people who have adopted a “Wizarding” lifestyle based on the films and books of the Harry Potter series. Even though the last book has been released, with the final films soon to follow, the love for the world that J.K. Rowling imagined has blossomed. A thriving fan community of artists and writers, and more recently, Wizard Rockers, continues to add new dimensions to an already rich and multi-faceted world. As the children who read the books come of age, the popularity of the Harry Potter world has reached new heights. Local meetup groups are sprouting up all over the country, attended by members sporting Hogwarts House colors with pride. Using our own experience as well as profiling members of the fandom community, we will explore creative and practical ideas to turn fans' love for the Wizarding World into a full-time lifestyle. We will begin with definitions of what we mean - lifestyling vs. the occasional event. There is no wrong way to do this! We are encouraging everyone to imagine and live the kind of lives they want to live.
Areas of exploration to include:
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Philosophies—Role Play, Lifestyling, Cosplay
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Identifying your place in Wizarding culture—Are you a quidditch fanatic / jock?
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Death Eater / darksider? Professor? Student? DA member? Shopkeeper? Etc.
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Fashion – accessorizing, working with your existing wardrobe to achieve your desired wizarding “look.”
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Food—Wizarding staples—cooking and baking, Harry Potter style!
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Home Decorating and Crafts
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Owls - methods of communication
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Spells / magic—practical potions, also how to create the illusion of magic and spells in daily life.
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Language - jargon
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Relationships - Romance, Sex, and Courtship
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Incorporating the Wizarding Lifestyle into Affiliated Cultures (such as Goth or Steampunk)
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Socializing – Finding Other Lifestylers
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Interacting with Muggle Society (e.g. How to hold down a Muggle job / attend a Muggle school when you're a witch or wizard.)
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We will be encouraging workshop participants to engage in role play situations involving the incorporation of the Wizarding lifestyle into their own lives.
Tom and Bella Forrister have been living the Wizarding lifestyle since they met in a Harry Potter role play community in 2005. They now live in Salem, MA with their two snakes, Nagini and Ravana. Their relationship is very reminiscent of Bellamort, the characters of Voldemort and Bellatrix embodying many aspects of their own personalities. Tom will also be playing the role of Lord Voldemort in "The Final Battle." As active participants in their local Harry Potter meetup group, HP-MA, Tom and Bella are always looking for new ways to share their lifestyle with others and serve as an example that you can live however you choose.
Tom and Bella Forrister have been living the Wizarding lifestyle since they met in a Harry Potter role play community in 2005. They now live in Salem, MA with their two snakes, Nagini and Ravana. Their relationship is very reminiscent of Bellamort, the characters of Voldemort and Bellatrix embodying many aspects of their own personalities. Tom will also be playing the role of Lord Voldemort in "The Final Battle." As active participants in their local Harry Potter meetup group, HP-MA, Tom and Bella are always looking for new ways to share their lifestyle with others and serve as an example that you can live however you choose.
Formal Programming
