Aya offers insight into the life of a young Japanese woman living in Tokyo. Francesca Allen (b. 1993, British) shares an intimate month spent with musician Aya Yanase, also known as Aya Gloomy. Unable to speak the same language, the series documents a growing friendship using photography as the sole medium of communication.
We first meet Aya in the suburbs of Tokyo. Her tiny apartment is beneath that of her Grandma who sometimes throws snacks from her balcony for Aya to catch. Aya’s home is full to the brim of everything one could imagine, with piles of dishes and clothes everywhere. The month is simultaneously the happiest but most exhausting time; Francesca and Aya do everything together. Taking photographs becomes almost secondary.
Published by Libraryman in an edition of 500 copies. Special edition of 25 copies, numbered, in paperboard slipcase, screen printed in brown, with signed original print.