A poignant quote I came across in my investigation from a note to a student by Hijikata Tatsumi, ‘We shake hands with the dead, who send us encouragement from beyond our body, this is the unlimited power of Butoh. In our body history, something is hiding in our subconscious, collected in our unconscious body, which will apper in each detail of our expression. Here we can rediscover time with an elasticity sent by the dead. We can find Butoh, in the same way we can touch our hidden reality, something can be born, and can appear, living and dying in the moment.’-

My project explores Butoh, how this dance can inhabit a true identity of ones self. Hijikata himself dressed as a woman and I felt that this was a type of transformation... A transformation which glides through social convention and makes us truly human and honest to our personal being, perhaps even feral or wild. It overrides our different ways of thinking above our language and social convention. Theatrics and vintage styling was involved, creating a scene and character. 

Studio Assistance:
Make-up Artists - Charlotte Spruch, Grace Kightley, Keziah Saunders,Autumn Scoffield 
Models - Bethany Palmer, Agne Karnisauskatie, Shannon Mundy
Actors - Jacob Carter, Susannah Greenow, Dana Halliwell 
​Photography Assistant - Monika Drabot