The “Jadranka concert” was held three times on Saturday the 13th of July. When the sun was still above me and temperature was high, I was taking a lunch break at a place far from the concert venue but her beautiful voice was really comforting to me. I went to the evening concert. Jadranka is a musician, born in Sarajevo of the ex-Yugoslavia. She collaborated live with Yoshiko Sakata, a Biwa (a four-stringed Japanese lute) player and Yutaka Fukuoka, who plays a free vocalisation.

Mr Fukuoka’s mysterious voice caught my attention at first. His voice changed in various ways through the mixer and that voice reminded me of a man who was making a mysterious voice in front of a stable when I was looking around the works. Jadranka and Ms Sakata appeared with unfamiliar musical instruments after a while. Jadranka’s instrument is called “Saz” and it is a seven-stringed folk musical instrument from Turkey and the Balkan Peninsula States. The backside of the body is round like a ball and the tune of it is similar to a mandolin’s. Ms Sakata’s instrument is called “Satsuma Biwa” and this spread throughout Japan as an instrument specifically for playing Biwa songs. The body is finished up with lacquer and looks really gorgeous. The special stick looked like a jumbo-sized of Syamisen’s (a three-stringed Japanese musical instrument) and it played a deep sound. Mr Fukuoka’s electronic sound and voice. An exotic folk musical instrument and Jadranka’s beautiful voice. And Ms Sakata’s modest but strong voice and Biwa play. All of them are from different genres but they superbly synchronised each other in a relaxed atmosphere. It was very impressive live.

The time between dusk and night. The sky was gradually changing its colour. It was really enjoyable to listen to their sounds that came floating on the wind. No words except “luxurious” could express this performance for less than 30 audiences.

Very peaceful. I had been feeling this at all times during the two-day-visit to “Demeter.” Sometimes I felt “is this really the international contemporary art exhibition?” Thatﾕs how relaxed I was. I can say that I fully enjoyed this event. Although, I saw many famous works at famous art museums before, it was just a checking action “this is famous” and I felt something far to them. However, I strongly felt that the residents and this event directly tied up each other in “Demeter.”

I heard somebody said, “this event does not aim to show something or earn money from works.” There might be some truth in what he said. Boys were playing football at the next to the racecourse, some people seemed to be interested in betting more than “Demeter”, the range of visitors were wide from children to elders and people were saying “hello” to each other; I saw these situations there. There was no formal atmosphere like “something famous has come, so let’s go to see them.” Also, people in Tokachi area seemed to smoothly accept this international contemporary art exhibition. I thought “Demeter” is a good example if people, who have not had a chance to touch arts before, are able to freely enjoy arts in this way.

I was almost forgetting how nice to walk on the ground, not on concrete roads. I do not like big and scary crows but their way of flying in the big sky of Tokachi looked beautiful. I had a shower of negative-ions from nature and a shower of art from the works in “Demeter.” I got on a train to Sapporo with a purified fresh feeling.

Demeter, Tokachi International Contemporary Art Exhibition
Date: July 13th – September 23rd, 2002
Place: Obihiro racetrack
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