As a Japanese woman living in the United States, I struggle with communication, since English is not my first language. As a result, I am very interested in the subject of communication and my desire for intimacy. Repeated misunderstandings made me sad. The appearance of my ignorance made me frustrated. The eyes of all, on me, intimidated me. I felt like the more I stayed here, the more I shrunk. I lost myself. Loneliness made me eager for deep communication with someone else. I did performance pieces to express the intense way that being loved by someone helped me survive. Through the performance work, I became a sculpture and communicated directly with the viewers. I felt I could finally talk with others–beyond language.
