Japanese storyteller

Tell stories as if it were a ritual, do it with the solemn dedication of the tea ceremony; dress for the occasion, with the weight of a traditional costume; doing so while folding paper, fold after fold, until it takes the shape of a bird destined to be consumed. That is what the painter and narrator Yoshi Hioki does in Bird of Ashes, a scenic narrative that draws on Japanese tradition.

Death, life, love, dreams and ancestral legacy are the pillars of the five stories that Yoshi Hioki tells. To narrate them, the Barcelona-based artist uses voice, singing, silence, light, objects and symbolic choreography.

The stories begin with proverbs that refer to an ancient Japan, of villages and legends. "Japanese stories are paintings made by words and silence. Paintings that reflect the joy and sadness of life itself," said Yoshi Hioki.

Creation and interpretation: Yoshihira Hioki
Narration: Yoshi Hioki
Stage direction: Gonzalo Castellano Megías