You are allowed to feel freed by language. You are allowed to get as specific as you need to with your ace spectrum identity as you need to feel comfortable in your own skin. You aren’t “just trying to be special” or identifying with something that isn’t real. Your identity is real because it helps you and makes you feel good. That matters.
You’d be hard pressed to spot anyone in the ethereal photos compiled in Bence Bakonyi’s series, Segue. Bakonyi managed to explore a great swath of China without seeing a soul. He focused on deserted sidewalks, abandoned swimming pools, and vast landscapes seemingly devoid of life. They’re a metaphor for the isolation he experienced as a visitor who couldn’t speak the language.
MORE. For a Nation of 1.4 Billion People, China Can Sure Look Empty