Expanding joy

This project started as an exercise in freedom from quiet societal expectations. Over the last few years, I have become increasingly overwhelmed by how the culture we live in rewards youth, newness, and relevance. It makes those who don’t fit slowly disappear. When beauty and worth are squeezed into one very tight shape, we lose a whole spectrum of real experiences that exist all around us.

It starts with my own grandma, who is now 86 and stays hungry for life, experiences, and fun, something that I often look up to. Some of my most joyful days are spent with her. That’s what moved me toward finding joy, freedom, and even a certain naivety in people who are often reduced by society to a narrow set of characteristics. I wanted to imagine later life

as a time when one can emanate light, expand, and, most importantly, take up space in a world that often expects you to shrink.

The protagonists of this project are members of an amateur senior theatre group in Tokyo, aged 65 to 82. None of them had ever posed for a camera before. I invit- ed them into a public park, a space where they could be noticed by people from all walks of life, to reclaim visibility for older bodies. My intention was clear: the play had to be real and spontaneous, not ironic or nostalgic. As the afternoon went on, they began to let go. They remembered the games they played in child- hood, and I could see the joy growing more visible as they allowed themselves to loosen. The closeness between them became apparent, and their aging bodies occupied the space fully.

Styled by Maki Kimura, the clothing acts as a catalyst rather than the main focus. It allows for colour, freedom, and individuality. But the true subject is the right to be soft and seen without shame at any age.

In a personal way, I wanted to explore the idea that later life can be adventurous, communal, and beautiful.