quiet cicadas defy nature

(2017) a5 zine










This zine is inspired by cicadas, an omnipresent and loud motif found in Japan's summer. The contents of the zine explores how silence in contrast to noise, can be weaponised and perceived as a louder statement instead. The silence I attempted to portray through this zine was brought about by the sense of displacement in a foreign country, which was further amplified due to linguistic barriers. Through the process of materialising thoughts into words, imagined imagery into photographs and collages, the zine gave me an opportunity to heal and acclimatise to the new environment. As well as to steady and accept myself as an anomaly within it.



prologue

Yearly, Summer makes her entrance between mid-July and mid-August. And along with her uncomfortable heat, children with loud mouths who after 3 years of undisturbed slumber, finally wake in search of their soul-mates. To find their destined ones, cicadas vibrate their wings to catch hold of their partner's attention. Little do they know that the audibility of their cries are not limited to insects but reach the ears of the human species as well.



私にとって日本の夏だと言えば、ゼミだと連想させられる。 ゼミの騒がしい音からイラッとさせることが多かったが、感謝の気持ちもある。 夏の夜に横道で死んでしまったゼミを発見し、なんとなく共感を強く感じた。 静かなの中でもパワーフルなステートメントができるとわかった。 自分が無理ありに発言しようする必要がなく、汗なくていい。 静かに新しい環境を味わいながら、自分なりの存在として毎日を送ってもいいと理解した。 zineを製作する過程には、言葉選びの機会が与えられて、普段想像で思いついた抽象なイメージが写真に実現して、このプロセスを繰り返し、日本にある居場所が見つけた。