by coreysnaps | Apr 9, 2022 | Announcements, Uncategorized
COVID-19 Guidelines
We’ve gotten a lot of questions recently about our Covid policies and precautions, so we wanted to highlight that here. You can also find these policies, and a lot of other helpful information, on our JordanCon 2022 FAQ page.
To mitigate the risks of COVID-19 infection, all attendees will be required to show proof of up-to-date vaccination at badge pickup. Updated vaccination includes one booster shot for eligible individuals. Final vaccination dose must be administered prior to April 8, 2022.
When arriving to pick up your badge, please present your ID and either the actual vaccination card or a photo of the front and back of the card. The name on the card must match the name on your photo ID. Attestation of identity from a parent or legal guardian is acceptable for minors without ID. Proof of vaccination must be provided for each attendee, regardless of age.
If vaccination is not an option for you, you may present negative results from a COVID-19 PCR test taken no earlier than April 20th. Antigen/rapid test results are only acceptable if documented by a healthcare provider and clearly confirm identification and date of test (no earlier than April 20th).
Masks will be required in all JordanCon spaces.
All track rooms and ballrooms will use the capacity limits based on numbers provided by the hotel.
JordanCon will not sanction any room parties at the 2022 event. Any gathering within hotel rooms or spaces will be monitored by the hotel to ensure compliance with hotel policies.
If you experience any COVID/Flu-like symptoms at any time please attempt to isolate immediately and do not enter any convention spaces.
JordanCon is offering onsite COVID testing at no cost. Two tests will be given: a rapid test via nasal swab and an antigen test via saliva. Anyone passing the rapid test will be given a wristband by the testing agency that they can present at registration in lieu of vaccination records. The results of the antigen test will be sent to you via email. JordanCon will not be informed of your results unless you choose to disclose them to us. The first test for each person at the event is free, but additional testing is available at a cost of $25 per person. Exact hours for testing will be posted later, but you can expect it to be available Thursday afternoon, all day Friday, and Saturday morning. Testing is not required for those showing proof of updated vaccination.
If you learn you are positive for COVID-19 up to one week after visiting any JordanCon spaces, please contact operations@jordancon.org and jordancon@jordancon.org.
Presentation of any falsified documents will result in a permanent ban from JordanCon and will be reported to local authorities per CDC guidelines.
We will continue to update this policy as needed, and it will be posted in the JordanCon 2022 FAQ. If you require any special accommodations, please contact hr@jordancon.org for assistance.
by pandrewfloyd | Apr 5, 2022 | Uncategorized
A message from our Director of Charity Events, Jeff “Hopper” Bernard:
Already this year, we’ve seen quite a bit of interest in the Charity Auction. We have some amazing items so far and are expecting quite a bit more. The profound interest you all have shown is extremely appreciated and we have noticed the many requests for access to our auction at https://www.32auctions.com/JordanCo2022.
Last year JordanCon used 32Auctions.com to help maintain social distancing and avoid all the touchy-feely aspects of using paper bid sheets. Based on our experience with this online bidding system and how much it streamlined everything, we’ve decided to continue using it this year. It is important to note, though, that access is only available for JordanCon Members who are physically on site.
We have started accepting access requests to the Charity Auction by checking names against the current membership list. If you have tried to join the auction, but have not been accepted, or have any questions about the process, please come see us on Friday or Saturday at the convention. Just show us your Badge and we’ll be able to help you in less than 5 minutes.
If you won’t be attending, I am truly sorry, but we will not be accepting your request to join the auction. We understand there may be some disappointment for those who won’t be in attendance, but we’ve had extensive internal conversations about this, and we simply do not have the infrastructure to manage all the shipping required to open the Charity Auction to others. Maybe some day we’ll be able to open our auction to a more widespread audience, but unfortunately, we’re not there yet.
We have, in the past, had attending members who are willing to bid and pay on the behalf of people who could not attend. If you would like to take this route, I strongly recommend that you only work with someone you know and trust. We have no problems with this, but JordanCon will not be responsible for any portion of the transaction outside of accepting the payment on site and handing the items over to the winning bidder.
For those of you who will be attending JordanCon later this month (OMG it’s this month!!!!), we can’t wait to see you.
by pandrewfloyd | Mar 29, 2022 | Uncategorized
Not to toot our own Horn of Valere, but every year JordanCon brings you some pretty amazing guests. Well, 2022 will be no exception. To make sure you’re prepared for all of the wonderful talents, our very own JordanCon experts—Thom DeSimone and Aleena Jack—have put together some amazing interviews for your viewing pleasure.
How can you watch these?
Well, there are several on our YouTube channel right now. You can click this link and see our interview with 2022 Author Guest of Honor Faith Hunter as well as many others.
But wait, there’s more! Quite a few more, in fact. And we’ll be releasing them in waves all the way up until con! So subscribe to our YouTube channel, like our Facebook page, follow our Instagram, and find us on Twitter to get each and every interview update as they happen!
If you don’t do social media, check out the featured guest pages on our site to read more about each guest and see the videos of their interviews on their pages as they’re uploaded.
And if you like these interviews, please let us know here, or at any of the links listed above, and tell us if you’d like us to continue these in years to come.
See you all in April!
by ebbierowe | Mar 21, 2022 | Uncategorized
A con is nothing without volunteers, and Jordancon is no different. Volunteers are part of what makes the con run so smoothly, and you can be one. I know what you are thinking. “If I volunteer I will miss out on all the fun stuff?” But guess what… You won’t!!
Volunteer shifts are only 90 minutes (the length of a panel). Plus, volunteer sign-up doesn’t start until 3 days AFTER the schedule for JordanCon is released. This gives you a chance to look over the schedule, decide which panels you just can’t miss, and when you have time to volunteer.
Now you may be wondering, “What can I even volunteer for? It is my first time at Jordancon.” Well volunteering is a great way to meet people and get a real feel for the Con.
You can volunteer to help with the Art Show, the ConSuite (It’s back y’all!!!), Registration, New Member Services (with me, yay!), the JordanCon Store, or be on standby for your selected period of time.
And there are other perks besides getting to meet people! You get an awesome ribbon (or badge swag, as I like to call it). You also get to participate in an exclusive raffle for some pretty cool items. (I won two Wheel of Time graphic novels.)
Important things to remember:
- Volunteer shifts are only 90 minutes each
- You get to choose when and where you volunteer
- You can sign up for as many or as few shifts as you like
- You get a ribbon
- You get to participate in an exclusive raffle
- Check the JordanCon Schedule to figure out when you can volunteer
And most importantly:
You can volunteer AND have a great time at JordanCon!
Keep an eye out for more information about volunteering. Have questions about volunteering you need an answer to right now? Email us at volunteering@jordancon.org
See ya’ next time!
#isitaprilyet #welomehome
by pandrewfloyd | Mar 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
By Kathryn Paterwic
In the first episode of the new Amazon Prime series adaptation The Wheel of Time, we meet our main seven characters, five from a small village called Emond’s Field and two from the outside world. Establishing that those two, Lan and Moiraine, are different right off the bat is key, and to do that they need to establish a base aesthetic style in Emond’s Field to play against.
Emond’s Field is a small village in the Two Rivers region, which is in the kingdom of Andor. Emond’s Field however is so small and isolated that they don’t even know they are part of a larger kingdom. This starts informing the style of the Emond’s Fielders. We can assume that: One, they are making everything from scratch and; two, there are very few new garments. Clothes will be hand-me-downs, and new garments are extremely valuable — maybe sentimental. Additionally, the majority of their clothing materials will be wool, fleece, or natural fibers that can be found in the surrounding area.
The first thing you notice about clothing in Emond’s Field is that there are very few bright or pure colors, and most of the garments have closures around the neck and chest. What does this mean on a deeper level?
The lack of pure or bright colors means that these clothes get worn and washed and re-dyed over and over. Bright and pure colors can only really be achieved when the original fabric is white, giving the pigment a clean base to apply the color. If you dye already dyed fabric, it will start to take on a more muddy coloration. This gives the villagers clothes a much more muted look.
The fact that almost every garment has a button or toggle closure is another clue to its hand-me-down nature. In a world with very little stretch material, closures like buttons and toggles make a garment more accessible to more sizes. Move the buttons a bit and that alone can alter the fit. Buttons around the neck and chest area make it easier for people with larger heads or chests to get into the garment. You would much rather have a garment too big in the shoulders and chest then too small because an alteration to make a small garment bigger is not easy. As for length, if a garment is too long, they would roll it up or cuff it just like we do today. Buttons will also make them more seasonably adjustable, and allow them to be worn in a wider variety of climates. All of these techniques make garments easier to hand around and therefore stay in use longer.
In the Two Rivers region there are very few new clothes, and there are going to be very few garments made from non-local materials. The primary clothing material is locally sourced fibers such as wools, linen, I would even say things like nettle hemp since you might be able to find them naturally or grow them. Emond’s Field is a farming community after all but they are known for their wool and sheep. Wool is sustainable but there are very few leather goods, because you would need to kill the sheep or ox for the leather. Effectively it’s a question of wool for years, or leather for now. Milk, cheese and help for years or leather now. People that have garments out of sheepskin or leather need it to keep them from the elements, which will make Moiraine stand out.
We spent a lot of time on her in the first article so just a quick overview. Rosamund Pike (Moiraine) is already a tall, slender woman, and the designer has chosen to accentuate this with her garment choices. Pants, shirt, her full length coat, even her Caireanan puffed sleeves (which puff up more than out) make her seem taller. The lack of visual closures or even a belt buckle tells me she is not big on ornamentations or decoration. All her garments are sensible and chosen for a reason. This could be an Aes Sedai trait, but when we encounter other Aes Sedai, we see this is her choice. Even the purity of all of the shades of blue shows me that these garments have never been dyed anything but blue. These garments were meant for her and only her — this is not a hand-me-anywhere. Going back to the leather, she is seen with these amazing leather shoulder pieces, which is not a very useful place to put leather but aids in that tall silhouette.
While we are on silhouettes let’s talk about Lan, whose overall look is not as different from the Two Rivers residents as Moiraines, but is still giving clues that he doesn’t belong. Lan has a very obscured silhouette, the garments give his look a North Asian feel, which is not an aesthetic seen in Two Rivers, and gives viewers very little to go on as to his physique. While he is still definitely an outsider in Emond’s Field, his costume doesn’t stand out as much as Moiraine’s does. I would say mainly due to the color, his garments blend in with the general surroundings. He is dressed in not only one color, but in one shade, a natural brownish gray with a touch of green, whose texture blends with trees, rocks, dead leaves, all things in the forest he travels through. It will be interesting to see if his overall color changes with the seasons and landscape, like camouflage.
When taking color, style, fit and even materials into consideration, our outsiders will probably blend into a town or city at a quick glance, but upon closer inspection they are definitely “not from around here.” In a larger village, no one looks twice at a traveler. In the Two Rivers region, their color palette, fabric choices and silhouettes make Lan and Moiraine stand out as strangers.
I will be looking at costuming choices and how they work within the story and world of The Wheel of Time for individual episodes going forward, so I hope you look forward to those.
by pandrewfloyd | Mar 1, 2022 | Uncategorized, Wheel of Time TV Show
By Kathryn Paterwic
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (and finished by Brandon Sanderson) has been a high fantasy staple for years, and in 2017 Amazon Prime announced the start of production on a multi-million dollar, multi-year and multi-country streaming live action adaptation. Amazon seems to have high hopes for the fourteen-book series, reportedly spending an average of $10 million an episode—and from what I have seen it is worth it.
I was given a chance to preview the first three episodes for this article, and while I am not a costume designer for this series, I have worked as a costume instructor for years. This gives me a unique perspective when it comes to theatrical adaptations of the written works, especially from a costuming standpoint, and the costume choices and execution will be the focus of this article.
The series The Wheel of Time is full of descriptive worldbuilding, encompassing fourteen distinct nations (not to mention cultural groups), which all get visited at least once by at least one of the seven main characters. Breaking this down will be an intimidating task. So let’s look at some of the ideas designers think about when turning books into visual media.
Let’s take the first two episodes. The story starts in the backwoods of nowhere, (eventually we will get an interesting contrast between our humble main five and the richer denizens of this world, but later). Who are the characters at their core, and what are they trying to accomplish? In this article we will look at three distinct groups. Our main five characters, just trying to live in a small town, a powerful visitor and a group that wants you to think they are something they are not.
The characters from Emond’s Field (specifically Rand, Mat, Perrin, Egwene and Nyneave) are just living their lives where things like fashion might be YEARS behind other areas of the world. People in Emond’s Field make things from scratch, they will alter them, redye them, re-style them, until the garment falls apart (we see this in our own history with clothing from “the peasant and working class”). Effectively, who cares if it exactly matches something you already own, it took someone three days to make it after working all day on something else.
Garments might be gifts or have more sentimental or utilitarian appeal than wearing clothes. Emond’s Field is known for their wool production, so any garment you see made from wool or that is woven is more valuable outside the town’s home region of Two Rivers. So clothes for new garments in a place like Emond’s Field is harder to come by. This doesn’t mean they are not interesting—as a costumer you can put in little easter eggs like the color of Nynaeve’s (Zoë Robins) coat for example juxtaposed to the color of the inside lining (foreshadowing future important aspects of her character), or Rand’s (Josha Stradowski) coat, the fact that Perrin (Marcus Rutherford) is the only one actually wearing fur (also foreshadowing) but that is for another article.
On the opposite side of the spectrum we have Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) who is trying not to make a stir when she first appears in Emond’s Field. Not only does everyone know everyone in a town this small but she visually doesn’t fit, even her protector Lan (Daniel Henney) doesn’t (though he fits better). First, she is openly wearing pants, and the fabric doesn’t have any kind of pattern, even the fact that her garments don’t tie or button make her stand out. Her clothes might be made of wool but the clothes themselves are much finer than the townspeople. Her overall silhouette is tall, narrow and streamlined. From a costumer’s perspective, Moiraine needs to be utilitarian — she is traveling a long way through inhospitable terrain, trying not to draw attention to herself but she was raised in comfort (to say the least). From what I’ve seen, she’s sticking out like a sore thumb. Her colors are too rich, her clothes fit well, her silhouette is too sophisticated, someone born to nobility in a city they’ve never seen.
An interesting example of costume theory is the look of The Children of Light, which plays a much more subtle and psychological game than with 
Moiraine. Commonly referred to as the White Cloaks, these are the group dressed completely in white. I think the costume designers are showing the White Cloaks as THEY WISH to be seen, not how the world actually sees them. They are religious zealots first and foremost, and they need to be warriors out of necessity because they see The Shadow is everywhere. But, they don’t have armor. No one would attack them, and they believe, so deeply, that the Light will protect them, that they don’t need it. They want to give off an authoritative air, but not a threatening one. If they scare the people they are “protecting,” it will make their job harder. This non-threatening appearance is in stark contrast with their actions when we, the audience, are introduced to them, which are brutal and reprehensible.
While I know that this isn’t how they are described in the book, it should end up being more nuanced and more realistic than a heavily armed group of soldiers stomping around the woods for no reason. This way the designer is letting the actions speak and leaning in on the jarring contrast.
This article only covered costumes, but I hope it gives you some sense of the wheels turning behind the scenes. While there are fans of the books who have loved them for years, who may be hesitant that the story will be done well, we will need more new fans to love them if we are going to see the Last Battle come to life. On that front, I can tell you that those who cherished the books will love this adaptation, if they go in with an open mind and remember that no one can make everyone happy all the time. Those who have never read the books should be able to follow with no trouble. For those who like to binge watch and rewatch, there is more to discover with each viewing. I was driving after watching the first three episodes and found myself slapping the steering wheel yelling “Blood and bloody ashes, how did I miss that! That was amazing!” Overall, I’m very excited for the direction that this show is taking, and look forward to breaking down even more costume theory as the show progresses through the story!
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