Photo by Rebecca Shatwell
Akio Suzuki, one of Japan’s pre-eminent sound art pioneers, and the New York-based, internationally renowned sound artist Aki Onda will share the stage for a special evening performance at the Hara Museum.
Though they differ in generation, performing style and home base, the two share the same DNA in creativity, constantly delving into the relationship between “sound” and “space”. Their approach towards the infinite world of sound is as variegated as the unique “instruments” that they respectively play, including the self-made echo instrument Analapos and cassette field recordings.
In recent years, both artists have been frequent invitees to festivals in Europe where they have given many site-specific performances. This past April, the two artists released their first duo album “mat ta ta bi”. As a record of a performance held at an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Brussels, the album features rapturous aural landscapes and “textural” sounds.
Though the two have often performed together in Europe, this will be the first time for them to share the same stage in Tokyo. We invite you to experience what may be a once-in-a-lifetime adventure in sound by two very special artists.
Photo by Michela Di Savino
【Event Information】
Date and time: September 20 (Saturday), 2014 (doors open at 17:00; performance starts at 17:30)
Artists: Akio Suzuki and Aki Onda
Venue: The Hall at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, 4-7-25 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
Tel 03-3445-0651
Ticket price: 4,000 yen (includes museum admission and tax)
How to purchase tickets:
Requests for tickets will be accepted from 11:00 am, Wednesday, August 6, 2014.
Please send an email as follows. Write “Duo Performance” on the subject line, and your name, Hara Museum membership number (if you are a member), phone number, and the desired number of tickets in the body of the email. Then send the email to: event@haramuseum.or.jp.
* Payment for tickets should be made on the day of the performance. A confirmation email with your ticket number(s) will be sent to you within three days after receiving your request. If not, please contact us. Please refrain from making reservations that have the probability of being cancelled.
Directions: 5 minutes by taxi or 15 minutes on foot from JR Shinagawa Station (Takanawa exit); or from the same station take the No.96 bus, get off at the first stop (Gotenyama), and walk 3 minutes
Cooperation provided by: SHOUT inc.
* On the day of the performance between 11:00 and 17:20, ticket holders will be free to enjoy the exhibition Art Scope 2012-2014 – Remains of Their Journeys (featuring the artists Ryosuke Imamura, Satoshi Ohno, Rita Hensen and Benedikt Partenheimer).
AKIO SUZUKI
Photos by Michela Di Savino
A legendary Japanese sound artist Akio Suzuki has been performing, building instruments, and presenting sound installations for nearly 40 years. His music is simple and pure, exploring how natural atmospheres and sounds can be harnessed and then set free. To experience his art is to lose oneself in the sound that surrounds us. Akio performs on a range of unique self-made instruments including Analapos – an instrument he invented in the 1970s that creates echoes through the acoustic transmissions of a spiral cord stretched between two metal cylinders, De Koolmees – consisting of hollow glass tubes suspended over a frame, and an ancient stone flute (Iwabue) passed down through his family for many generations. Akio has collaborated with artists such as Toru Takemitsu, Takehisa Kosugi, Derek Bailey, Peter Brötzmann, Steve Lacy and John Butcher.
www.akiosuzuki.com
AKI ONDA
Photos by Michela Di Savino
Aki Onda is an electronic musician, composer, and visual artist. Aki was born in Japan and currently resides in New York. He is particularly known for his Cassette Memories project – works compiled from a “sound diary” of field-recordings collected by himself over a span of two decades. Aki’s musical instrument of choice is the cassette Walkman. Not only does he capture field recordings with the Walkman, he also physically manipulates multiple Walkmans with electronics in his performances. In recent years, Aki often works in interdisciplinary fields and collaborates with filmmakers, choreographers and visual artists. He has collaborated with artists such as Michael Snow, Ken Jacobs, Paul Clipson, Alan Licht, Loren Connors, Oren Ambarchi, Noël Akchoté, Jean-François Pauvros, Jac Berrocal, Lionel Marchetti, Linda Sharrock, and Blixa Bargeld.
www.akionda.net