Watashi-chan is a garment for ‘seeing’ the invisible sounds in a space. Balloons, fastened onto the garment, inflate as soon as sound is detected in the space, regardless of whether the person wearing the garment actually hears the sound. In other words, the sounds surrounding the person wearing the suit can be recognized visually, through the balloons.

"Watashi" is the first person pronoun in Japanese. It also means “oneself”. "Chan" is affixed to a personal noun; it is the word used for expressing a friendly attitude towards a person referred to or addressed. Watashi-chan recognizes the sounds that a person doesn't feel consciously and doesn't recognize, so it ‘informs’ them about it. It functions as an additional sensory organ. By calling it Watashi-chan, I wanted to stress this quality of the device as being another (one)self.

I want to understand the extent of sound and noise around me, as well as the quality and type of sound at a given moment, and I want to visualize this sound. For example, I can feel the sound of people breathing more intensely, the rhythm of a place, the living environment, with all the sound and noises becoming visible. Listening to the sounds hopefully also means hearing our heart’s voice. Noises are a proof that life is being lived. When I listen to a sound, it feels like eating and sleeping in everyday life, experiences that nourishing and relevant to people’s lives.