Hara Museum ARC

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.

AKIO SUZUKI
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.

AKI ONDA
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.

Venue

The Hall at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art

Fee

4,000 yen