This summer’s Be the Artist series asks the question: “Who Made That?”
The Item: Who Created the K-Pop Light Stick
It is hard to picture a K-Pop artist today without a light stick. They are part of concerts and used as inspiration for accessories and jewelry. If you were to draw a picture of any random K-Pop lover, they would transcend many ages, backgrounds, and lifestyles… but they are likely to be holding a light stick.
There are limited edition versions, and some with QR codes to sync for concerts. Some have interchangeable parts and others have special effects.
This isn’t the first time I have talked about light sticks. I have done some fun birthday prop DIYs and mentioned how interactive they can be in a concert setting, but I have only touched on the artist who is primarily credited as the creator of this K-Pop mainstay: Kwon Ji-yong, more famously known as G-Dragon. The word “yong” means dragon in Korean.
G-Dragon has been training as a performer since age 13 but has also appeared as a young actor on television and in movies. During his time as leader of BigBang, they helped give the K-Pop sound international recognition long before groups like BTS and Stray Kids were even formed.
And it was BigBang that first used light sticks.
Light sticks are a beautiful and artistic enhancement to any live show, making the audience feel part of the performance—and they’re pure marketing genius. A true fan of any group’s collection is not complete without the official light stick.
Before light sticks, K-Pop fans were using standard glow sticks or color-coded balloons for their concerts. Then BigBang’s “Bang Bong” appeared, a simple yellow five-point crown design as a handheld representation of their fandom, that in itself was a work of art.
According to the culture site Daebak, G-Dragon and Big Bang introduced them in 2006 shortly after their debut, and it was first used in their concerts in 2007. These immediately took off, and nearly 20 years later, light sticks are still the concert item to have for any K-Pop artist.
Even while in the thick of performing, G-Dragon worked on and off to obtain college degrees. By 2016, he gained a Master’s in content and retail distribution.
His influence has always extended beyond music and into the visual arts. In 2015, he was the first K-Pop idol to present his own curated exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art and was a curator for a special Sotheby’s auction in 2019. He was also named one of “50 Art Collectors to Watch” that same year.
This year, G-Dragon was appointed as a visiting professor in the mechanical engineering department at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and launched a foundation, JusPeace, to help young artists battling drug addiction.
Like many performing artists G-Dragon has had both good and bad press in his career and personal life, but he has continued to maintain the passion for creating that every person needs, performer or otherwise.
“I tend to be curious about a variety of areas rather than just one specific field,” he said in a recent interview for Elle Korea. “There is a desire in me, both as a creator and as a human being, to challenge something a little more unfamiliar than something outdated if possible.”
The Project: A Light Stick Just for You
Not every light stick fits the classic light stick shape. There’s a light ring (Itzy), light wristband (Day6), light bullhorn (The Boyz), light ray gun (Cherry Bullet), and many, many other creative variations.
Still, when even non-K-Pop fans think of a light stick, the vision of a glowing orb on a torch-like handle immediately comes to mind. The “BTS Bomb” is the most obvious example, but there are so many others.
Many of these are simple orbs containing glowing items that best represent the group on the inside. Seventeen has a diamond (their fandom is CARAT), ATEEZ has an hourglass, Boy Next Door has a house, and you get the picture. It’s something that is personal to that group and its fans.
For this project, we’re going to make our own “orb” light stick that represents something special to us. You will need a few special items (that will cost a lot less than most light sticks). Some fans I know have had to save up between $65 and $150 for certain light sticks.
This project can come in under $10.
Find a plain plastic round snow globe kit at a craft store and a dollar store no-frills flashlight. You might already have one at home.
Next, find a piece of clear plastic, like that from a supermarket food container.
First, discard the outer cap of the snowglobe kit. You won’t need it. The inner stopper should fit over the end of most flashlights well. Next, using a utility knife (adults should do this for younger crafters), cut out a hole in the top of the stopper.
Using the clear plastic, trace the width of the snow globe base on the plastic. Glue it over the hole of the stopper base. It is a nice, clear surface for light to pass through easily.
Now for the fun part. What is going inside your globe? Think of a simple shape that represents you or something you love. Maybe it’s your dream job or a hobby. Maybe it’s your pet’s or family’s name. Maybe it is a nickname or just a shape or item that catches your fancy.
Now, draw a simple version of it on the clear plastic and cut it out. We’re going to need two of this shape, so place the cut-out piece of a different part of the plastic, trace it, and cut it out.
You can leave these plain or color them with felt tip markers.
Place them together by cutting a slit in the top half of one and the bottom half of the other, like those wooden or paper Christmas tree kits you see everywhere.
Now, place them together and secure them with some glue.
Once the glue dries, place the shape in the center of the now-clear stopper base. Secure good with glue and let dry. Place the stopper, with your new design, up into the globe’s orb, and there’s the big end of the light stick.
As for the flashlight, spray paint it any color you want, and add some stickers or paste-on jewels. Make it your own.
Finally, using a glue gun, set the base of the globe on the light end of the flashlight and let it dry.
Now, you have a light stick like no one else. It might not be an expensive, fancy prop, but it is unique and fun.
Remember the creator of the light stick himself embraces the process of creativity every day:
“What we should really fear is not failure but the heart that is no longer brave enough to take risks and embrace challenges.”
