Description

In this video, I wanted to (re)create the visceral experience of dizziness-brought on by heat, humidity, and sound—and pair it with the deep sense of nostalgia that summer in Japan evokes for me. The intensity of Japanese summers is overwhelming: boiling temperatures, suffocating humidity, endless sweat, the ease of getting sunburned, and the persistent chorus of cicadas. These are all things I could endlessly complain about. And yet, when the season begins to shift toward fall, I can't help but feel a tinge of sadness, a longing for the summer. Cicadas, despite their noise, bring me back to childhood summers—times filled with excitement and endless possibilities. The constancy of their sound is a comforting thread, connecting me to memories of carefree days. Even the discomfort of boarding a train in a sweat-soaked T-shirt, only to be blasted by the too-cold air conditioning, becomes something I cherish—a strange pleasure, like being stored in a "fridge" and transported. While I am not a big fan of getting sunburned, I cannot deny how much I enjoy the way silver rings stand out against my tanned skin. In this project, I explored how to express the contrasting feelings of physical discomfort and emotional attachment with summer. That summer, it was four years since I spent summer in Japan last time. Although I thought I am familiar with the season, I found myself rediscovering it--how I perceive it, and what I like and dislike about it. These re-discoveries led me to reflect on my experiences across two languages, Japanese and English. Through this, I came to appreciate the richness of onomatopoeia in Japanese, which became central to this project. This realization inspired me to incorporate word animation. I was also influenced by the short film Yadosagashi by Studio Ghibli. In the film, onomatopoeia is used to express environmental sounds and emotions in a playful way, turning everyday noises and sensations into words. I wanted to bring this essence into my own work, creating word animations to evoke similar feelings.