«I have explored how our bodies are not a symbol of strength, but of weakness»

The movements of Butoh, a Japanese dance and movement art, to unveil the stages of our life in John Spyrou’s photographic series

I present a series of images through a voyeuristic perspective examining the stages of life that unfold before us. Inspired by the movement and dance art of Butoh, I have explored how our bodies are not a symbol of strength, but of weakness. The photographs were shot in December of 2020, and so I wanted to show how our health and society can be compromised by something as small as a virus.

Butoh dance form

These images are a study of the energy of collaboration throughout one’s existence and how one’s life can be determined within distinct phases – Birth, Mimicry, Self-Discovery, Commitment, Legacy and Death. I wished to create unsettling images that challenge the use of perspective and space and that demand for the viewer to analyze each photograph’s movement and dimensions. I have used only analog mechanisms to create the distortions and freneticism in the images along with the talent of three Butoh performers and one model.

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John Spyrou photographer

New York based, self-taught photographer. His work consists predominantly of portraits in which he strives to create different layers for the viewer to discover. He shoots mostly using film.

Photographer: John Spyrou

Stylist Jessette
Talent Will Atkins, Azumi O E, Margherita Tisato
Make-up Jas Doyle
Hair Jenni Iva Wimmerstedt
Stylist Assistant Ellen-Claire Newell, Brianna Donato
Shot on location in Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Matteo Mammoli