Looking for the Desert in the Midst of the Oasis

Looking for the Desert in the Midst of the Oasis
Photographs: Nathalie Dreier
Dance: Stefano Taiuti
19. - 21. July 2024
Solo exhibition at La Lupa, Tuscanica (IT) as part of Japanese Ghost IV: Processo esperienziale a Tuscania

"Looking for the Desert in the Midst of the Oasis” is a photographic exploration created in collaboration with Butoh dancer and movement researcher Stefano Taiuti.

Investigating Stefano's 'Spiritual Mechanism' as both a form of butoh and a philosophy has deeply fascinated me, particularly the altered states achieved through a blend of discipline and devotion. These are states in which 'ghosts' or unseen energies find tangible expression, allowing the dancer to be 'danced' rather than merely dance. In line with this, time is not something that is used, but rather something that is created. A unique temporal and spatial experience comes to life through the body's organic rhythms, distinguishing it from the structured, externally imposed time of society.

The photographs in this series stem from a yearning to capture the transformative motion process of the dancer. Using long exposure and a single flash, the minutes-long images are shot in utter darkness, so that neither the photographer nor the dancer can see what is happening. Ideally, the dancer emerging from the photograph is not the same person who began the dance.

I like to think that multiple spirits are present in the photographs, momentarily merging with the body and contributing to the re/cognition of its physical and spiritual transformation.