lae astra

• レイ - pronounced like [lay]

• uses they/them pronouns

• contact - laeastra@gmail.com
  英語でも日本語でもご気軽にお問い合わせ下さい。

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Short bio:

lae astra believes in total liberation. An agender trans artist and writer who calls Tokyo home, their work has appeared in Astrolabe, Gone Lawn, Overheard, Star*Line, Strange Horizons, and elsewhere. They are a Pushcart, Best Microfiction, and Rhysling Award nominee, and co-founder of Far Future, an artist collective. They believe in tomorrow. Find them at laeastra.com/links.

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Japanese bio:

lae astra｜レイ・アストラ

詩人、画家、写真家、サウンドアーティスト、ナレーター、声優。カリフォルニア大学バークレー校にて、認知科学を専攻しながら日本語を学ぶ。卒業後、日本に移住。現在は英語のボイスアーティストとして、NHKドキュメンタリー番組をはじめ、様々なCM、ゲーム、教材、企業PV等に出演。2020年から抽象画とエキスペリメンタルな電子音楽を作り、2021年にアーティスト集団「Far Future」を共同創設。2023年の夏から英詩が様々な雑誌に所載。日本の永住者、東京在住。

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Longer greeting:

Hello! I'm lae, an artist and writer living in Tokyo.

Current creative projects include: writing poetry & prose, making lens / light-based art, digital & traditional painting, experimental electronic music.

In my work as a narrator and voice artist, my voice is featured in NHK World documentary programs, commercials, games, educational material and various other projects.

I immigrated to the US at the age of four, grew up in Mississippi, Alabama, and California, then graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in Cognitive Science. After that, I immigrated to Japan and have lived here in Tokyo ever since. I'm now a permanent resident of Japan.

From late 2020, I started to experiment with abstract painting and improvised electronic music.

In 2021, I co-founded the artist collective Far Future with ipso, my best friend and partner. They are a multilingual audiovisual artist and storyteller. Together, we collaborate on various creative projects, including experimental electronic music.

In summer of 2023, I began submitting my poetry to publications.

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The blog that held my old photography portfolio and client work from previous years is now closed, but I still occasionally update my personal photo journal.

I enjoy painting by hand with watercolor and acrylic on paper and canvas, as well as digital painting with software such as Procreate, krita, and Rebelle. I’m fond of birds and invertebrates. I like taking walks in my city and in nature, browsing farmers markets, and cooking plant-based food.

I’ve been vegan since late 2016. My views align closely with total liberation, which involves opposing all forms of oppression, inclusive of humans, nonhuman animals, and ecosystems.