A streaming of Sado Island’s ‘FRACTAL CAMP’

‘FRACTAL CAMP’ was held over the course of two days from September 18th (Sat) to 19th (Sun), as a project of the ‘Sado Island Galaxy Art Festival 2021’ in Sado City, Niigata Prefecture.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the approaching Typhoon Chanthu (No. 14), audience numbers were limited to 50, thorough PCR testing had to be carried out beforehand, and the full performance programme was packed into the second day. However, the clear skies left behind in the wake of the typhoon allowed the audience to experience a luxurious sense of unity with nature, making it the kind of rich camping festival event that could only be held under such circumstances.

On a hilltop overlooking the pair of rocks floating in the sea known as Futatsugame, the morning of the second day began gently with DJ MOODMAN’s ‘Ohayo Dommune’ as Sado folk songs gently echoed in the background. The main event opened with a prayer by Shoin Kajii, a photographer and a Buddhist monk, and this was followed by a performance by solo solo solo. The overtones of the Mukkuri, a bamboo instrument handed down from the Ainu people, resonated with the sounds of nature.

The action then moved to the main stage of Onogame, where the live performances continued. Manami Kakudo appeared with tuba player Gideon Juckes. Under the blue sky, her free-spirited and soft voice resonated pleasantly, and OLAibi brought the audience to their feet with a tribal sound that made them truly experience the joy of music. Then the full moon rose, bathed in the piercing sounds of Keiji Haino. With the live performance of ‘WAKARIMASEN’ by Terry Riley—as part of the ‘DOMMUNE Presents “LAND MUZAK” SADO Project’, formed for the purpose of this art festival—the audience floated in a euphoric atmosphere fused with traditional performance arts.

In addition to these live performances, the native food team ‘Barbaggia’ presented a work on the theme of food and art, and there was also a screening of the movie Shiver by Director Toshiaki Toyoda, featuring a collaboration with the professional taiko drumming troupe ‘Kodo’ from Sado Island. As the movie ended, the audience was greeted by a live performance by Kodo in loincloths, almost as if they had jumped out of the screen. The event closed with a rousing finale, as the test video project ‘Oyasumi MOOD DOMMUNE’ by MOODMAN and graphic artist YOSHIROTTEN was delivered to those participating in the camp.

FRACTAL CAMP was an opportunity to experience the performance of artists gathered under the theme of ‘nature’ through the features and culture of Sado Island. ‘FRACTAL’ is a word that refers to shapes that continue in the same form, regularly and forever.

As described by Risa Yamai, President of Snow Peak, a camping-equipment company, and director of this event, ‘The triangle formed of three mountains representing nature in Sado expressed the three genres of food, movies, and music, and so we named the event with the hope that the relationship between the artists involved and the people who participated in the project would expand infinitely.’

A video of the entire event, which allows visitors to experience the mysteries of Sado Island, where the ‘Noh’ stage is said to be the boundary between the afterlife and this world, will be broadcast for a fee starting November 1st.