A multispecies food zine by curly_mads
Every morning, I visit a large urban park near my home to watch birds. The park beautifully reflects the four seasons – cherry blossoms in spring, lush greenery in summer, orange leaves in autumn, and snow in winter.
Many familiar birds gather here, including sparrows, crows, and Japanese white-eyes (mejiro). In winter, migratory birds stop by to rest during their journey. Even in the city, you might spot a goshawk or a Japanese rat snake. It’s a green oasis that feels like a hidden forest.
The birds featured in my Wild Birds Food Alphabet project were inspired by the birds I encounter every morning in this park. One day, while watching them, I thought: what if these birds could cooperate and create their own alphabet?
Nearly every letter of this alphabet is a collaboration of two birds twisting and turning their bodies into shape. They seem to be chatting and coordinating with each other as they bend, curl, and spin to build the alphabet. And if things get tricky, a third bird might join in to help out.
After making the alphabet, I hand-made a riso print zine about the alphabet wild birds’ favourite foods. In the illustrations, the birds sometimes play inside or with their favourite delicious foods, but they always end up enjoying eating them.
The work of self-taught illustrator curly_mads, is inspired by the vivid colours, dynamic shapes and movements of birds, plants and insects in her local park in Tokyo, where she walks each morning. Her day job is as a graphic designer at a music production company, designing album covers, live concert logos, and artist merchandise. She also works on her own projects, which include character design, GIF animations, and self-published zines.
Title image: Page layouts from the “Wild Birds Food Alphabet” book © curly_mads
