STATEMENT
I think that many people have emotional scars caused by their personal problems,
and at times turn into hikikomori, or a person in social withdrawal, or commit suicide.
In this society, people continue to bear more emotional scars, each one carrying its own story.
(According to one theory, there are 3 million hikikomori and 30,000 people who commit suicide each year in Japan.)
Even those who identify themselves as strong and unhurt people will obviously weaken and be hurt at least once before they age and pass away.
It’s always easy to listen to the dominant person’s logic; loud voices reach one’s ears even when they are covered.
Instead, I want to listen to the shaky voices that cannot usually be heard. I want to create a device that would prompt the development of such hearing.
To be honest, I think the project also attempts to create a society where my weak self would not be left alone to die
––because after all, a society where self-identifying strong people set the standards sounds quite uncomfortable.
––Atsushi Watanabe