nobutohIn Memoriam: Yoshito Ohno
Standing on bent legs in a wide snowy field, both arms lifted, snow falling in front of bare trees and branches.

01 of 03

Pain

Scroll slowly. It is cold.

Standing until the snow forgets anyone is here.

Kneeling on one knee in the snow, the torso folded forward, one arm flung back and up, the other hand pressed to the chest.02
Kneeling with one leg stretched far out to the side, an arm reaching up and back, the face lifted, in falling snow.03
In a deep side lunge, the torso twisted toward the lens, the hands curled near the bent knee.04

The cold arrives in the knees first.

Framed close, one arm arcing over the head while the other curls in front of the chest, snow falling against dark trees.
05

Turning toward the sound of one flake landing.

Balanced on one leg, the other foot drawn in at the knee, one arm stretched up and out, snow falling past dark trees.
06

A thread from the crown, a thread from the knee. Neither one is pulled.

Kneeling in deep snow, the torso bent sideways beneath one arm arched overhead.
07

The back folds under a weight that is not there.

A long lunge, the chest arched back, one hand raised and one cupped, the face turned to the sky.08
A wide low lunge, one arm sweeping overhead and one hand lifted near the face, snow drifting in front of the trees.09

The chest opens like a window in January.

Caught in mid-leap above the snow, one leg stretched down with the toes pointed and the other folded at the knee, one arm arched overhead and the other bent across the chest, flakes falling all around.
10

White.Then, slowly, a breath.

A wide crouch, one hand dragging in the snow, a pale cloud of breath hanging beside the face.
11

Breath is the only thing allowed to leave.

A deep crouch with the hands curled like claws beside the face and a puff of breath at the right.
12

Hands, small animals that forgot what they were.

Kneeling, leaning forward and trailing the fingertips across the snow, the head low and turned.
13

One word, written with a fingertip and left unread.

Kneeling beside a snow-covered branch, one arm thrown up and back, the face lifted.
14

The branch carries more than it can say.

Seated low in the snow with one knee out wide, forearms curled in front of the face.
15

Sitting inside the shape the cold made.

Lying on one side in the snow, propped on an elbow, looking toward the lens, with a faint plume of breath above.
16

Lying down where the body stood, and looking back.

Chest and face in soft light, arms raised and bent, hands open, a direct look, a pale sky behind.
17

Rising so slowly that no one can say when it began.

Legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded at different heights, a snow-laden pine at the upper right.18
Legs crossed, one arm laid across the body, the head bowed toward the shoulder, bare branches behind.19

Ankles crossed. Arms crossed. A bow to whoever is not here.

Seen from behind, arms held away from the body, the head turned over one shoulder, legs crossed in the snow.
20

Walking away without leaving.

A close view of a back, the white paint cracked across the shoulder blades, the head turned down.
21

The white cracks. Underneath, the same skin.

A film

Kazuo Ohno, the father of Yoshito Ohno, dancing.

The Dead Sea

A minute and a half of Kazuo Ohno dancing, from the documentary Dance of Darkness by Edin Velez. The uploader dates it to the 1980s.

Original on YouTube, uploaded by Bob DeNatale.

All 21 photographs

  1. Standing on bent legs in a wide snowy field, both arms lifted, snow falling in front of bare trees and branches.01
  2. Kneeling on one knee in the snow, the torso folded forward, one arm flung back and up, the other hand pressed to the chest.02
  3. Kneeling with one leg stretched far out to the side, an arm reaching up and back, the face lifted, in falling snow.03
  4. In a deep side lunge, the torso twisted toward the lens, the hands curled near the bent knee.04
  5. Framed close, one arm arcing over the head while the other curls in front of the chest, snow falling against dark trees.05
  6. Balanced on one leg, the other foot drawn in at the knee, one arm stretched up and out, snow falling past dark trees.06
  7. Kneeling in deep snow, the torso bent sideways beneath one arm arched overhead.07
  8. A long lunge, the chest arched back, one hand raised and one cupped, the face turned to the sky.08
  9. A wide low lunge, one arm sweeping overhead and one hand lifted near the face, snow drifting in front of the trees.09
  10. Caught in mid-leap above the snow, one leg stretched down with the toes pointed and the other folded at the knee, one arm arched overhead and the other bent across the chest, flakes falling all around.10
  11. A wide crouch, one hand dragging in the snow, a pale cloud of breath hanging beside the face.11
  12. A deep crouch with the hands curled like claws beside the face and a puff of breath at the right.12
  13. Kneeling, leaning forward and trailing the fingertips across the snow, the head low and turned.13
  14. Kneeling beside a snow-covered branch, one arm thrown up and back, the face lifted.14
  15. Seated low in the snow with one knee out wide, forearms curled in front of the face.15
  16. Lying on one side in the snow, propped on an elbow, looking toward the lens, with a faint plume of breath above.16
  17. Chest and face in soft light, arms raised and bent, hands open, a direct look, a pale sky behind.17
  18. Legs crossed at the ankles and arms folded at different heights, a snow-laden pine at the upper right.18
  19. Legs crossed, one arm laid across the body, the head bowed toward the shoulder, bare branches behind.19
  20. Seen from behind, arms held away from the body, the head turned over one shoulder, legs crossed in the snow.20
  21. A close view of a back, the white paint cracked across the shoulder blades, the head turned down.21
Photographer
anonymous
Art director
anonymous
Paramedic
anonymous
Video
not available

The snow ends in white. The next performance is white too, indoors, and the body is a doll.

Next performance, 02Doll