Brave New World
180 × 210 mm, 143 pages, thread-sewn; printed at home with a Canon PIXMA PRO-100 on matte Hammermill Premium Color Copy Paper, 28 lb; cloth-covered hardcover with dust jacket and transparent plastic cover; 1 dummy; 2021.
Prologue When I was on the plane for over 13 hours, traveling to this city, I felt like I was inside a spaceship. Watching the sunrise and sunset, and the moonlight over the clouds made it feel like I wasn’t on Earth. This was especially true after the flight attendants asked the passengers to close the window covers. Most people fell asleep but I couldn’t; I was too excited yet fearful for my arrival to this new place. I just listened to the sound of the engine and the white noise of the vents of the plane for hours in the dark silence.
When I finally arrived at the Airbnb in a suburban town, it felt like I was time traveling back to the time when I was a kid. I liked the vintage-looking street; it looked quaint compared to the place I had left. Still, the surroundings made me feel like a creature from a planet called Earth. Standing in the street, now back on the ground, some aliens gave me a passing smile, which had never happened back on my planet. It was not only these creatures and the street, but the sunlight, the wind, and the smells that felt alien to me.