Global Design Graduate Show
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Lily Qian - Pareidolia - Graphic memoir of a journey into adolescence
Pareidolia - Explore the theme of ambiguity of memory as the girl comes to terms with forces beyond her comprehension
ReadPareidolia - Graphic memoir of a journey into adolescence
Designed by Lily Qian, 'Pareidolia' won the Illustration Category in the Global Design Graduate Show in collaboration with Gucci 2021.
'Pareidolia' is a graphic memoir that chronicles a girl’s journey through childhood into adolescence. Moving between cities in Canada and China she wonders about the meaning of belonging as her life continues to shift.
Her father, a Chinese immigrant, struggles to take care of her as a single parent. Her elusive mother grapples with mental illness.
Pareidolia by Lily Qian 8 (2021) by Lily QianGlobal Design Graduate Show
As her dysfunctional family encounters obstacles through life – from language barriers to grief and loss – the girl slowly comes to terms with forces beyond her comprehension.
Pareidolia by Lily Qian 7 (2021) by Lily QianGlobal Design Graduate Show
'Pareidolia' highlights Lily's mother’s struggle with mental illness, her parents’ divorce, and her father’s challenges as a single parent. The narrative highlights themes of displacement, family conflict, and mental health issues.
The ambiguity of memory is an important theme explored through the narration. The narrative voice is split into one that is experiencing the events of the memoir as they are unfolding, and another looking back at the experiences with the benefit of hindsight.
This is related to the title, 'Pareidolia', which refers to the phenomenon where things are perceived as different from what they actually are. As a result, readers are left wondering which perspective is closer to the truth.
Pareidolia by Lily Qian 3 (2021) by Lily QianGlobal Design Graduate Show
"I am a graduate from the Parsons Illustration program. Since winning the Illustration category of the Arts Thread Global Design Graduate Show 2021, ‘Pareidolia’ has been acquired by First Second and the full version of the graphic memoir is set to publish sometime in 2025."
Pareidolia by Lily Qian 1 (2021) by Lily QianGlobal Design Graduate Show
"Since graduating, I have been working full time at Penguin Book for young readers while completing my graphic memoir and creating illustrations for clients like The New Yorker, Buzzfeed and The New York Times." - Lily Qian
FIRST NAME: LILY
LAST NAME: QIAN
UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE: PARSONS NEW SCHOOL OF DESIGN
COURSE / PROGRAM TITLE: ILLUSTRATION BFA
GRADUATED: 2021
SPECIALISMS: ILLUSTRATION / DRAWING / GRAPHIC DESIGN
SECTORS: VISUAL COMMS/MOVING IMAGE / FINE ART / VISUAL COMMS/MOVING IMAGE
WEBSITE: Pareidolia by Lily Qian
