"[...]To no one's surprise, but only the boy’s, The whispers of the demons he met got lost. He remembered the tune they performed that night,
The melody was definitely right, however, The words did not match. Their whispers got twisted and corrupted. As much as the boy tried, the sounds did not align, Perverted by the tongue of a human in disguise. The boy would have to find a way to make the sounds come out right. And so he took on a piece of wood and grabbed a knife his father took. He took it to the barn where he would work, cut the wood and shape it with. His bare hands and the blade they held. After many nights that stretched till dawn, When the boy’s hands had blistered and bled Too many to count, He was finally happy with the wood he carved.

He had given it a body, a long, thin neck, He had put a head on top with two horns and a face, He took the hair from their goats, He pulled it all the way from the body through its neck He tied it on top around its head And stretched the hair with a wooden peg. After the sun went its way Below the horizon and the mountain range, The boy took his newly carved piece And took on a journey to his favorite Woods. He found the spot where they last met, took his bag and let his feet rest On the grass which moved along its usual way when the Wind would blow. His feet were cold, but he did not mind. The coming performance was all his mind Could think of. And when he began to stroke the hair Across with a bow They would all vibrate. The body, the neck, The heads with horns And finally the hair.

And as his tunes would fill up the air, the boy would hum along, The same words which he thought he lost Have found their way to his makeshift tongue. They spoke of mischief, joy and tears, The words of demons who were searching for their kin. Through the Woods, through the mountains, through the people and the goats, All that was moving was concerning those Who moved with the Wind and spoke to it softly. Asking it questions of love and guidance. And when the Woods were empty once more Of the sound played by the boy, The Wind has also Decided to go. [...]"

Photos by: Mina Yee

Excerpt from "The Story of a Boy, the Wind and the Fiddle" (2023)

Jeremi Biziuk aka kitarumo

"Czort and Gusle" (2023)

"Czort and Gusle" is an installation and performance which attempt to bridge the gap between Jeremi's interest and intrigue in sonic art and its inseparable visual qualities. Through the crafting of textile costumes and hand carved instruments, both inspired directly by eastern European folk traditions, the artist is re-imagining and reenacting the communal need for space and acts of performativity. Through the musical intervention in the space and the presence of a distinctive figure in the form of the dressed up performer, its purpose changes temporarily. Calling for a minute of focus and unshattered attention, the artist is performing a moment of embodiment.

Presented during "NEWBORNS" at Trixie, Den Haag, 2023.