Silent Witness in the Evacuation Zone is a poetry zine by writer and translator Michiyo Miyake, inspired by the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident.
Printed on a single sheet of A4 paper and folded into a compact brochure-like format, this zine creates a physical reading experience through the movement of unfolding and viewing the pages.
At the centre of the work is the haunting image of a lifeless cow observed by another surviving animal. Inspired by real events following the Fukushima evacuation, the poem considers the lives affected by nuclear disaster beyond the human perspective.
Michiyo Miyake: Writer and translator, born in Japan and based in Australia. She co-hosts the translation duo UGUISU with Nicholas Marshall and the publishing label UGUISU BOOKS.
