The Humanness of Our Lonely Selves

During a trip through Japan’s southern islands, where small houses are built from a range of materials using traditional methods, photographer Awoiska van der Molen was drawn to the windows. Walls there are thin because of the mild climate, but she was struck by the fact that, apart from the sound of the television, stockinged feet on hollow floors, or noises from the kitchen, all that could be heard was the hum of the air conditioning – no heated discussions, no loud laughter, no casual chatter. This marked the beginning of her multi-journey quest to discover why, considering her awareness of the unseen daily life taking place behind them, she finds these windows so intriguing.