Though they differ in generation and performance practice, the NYC-based Onda (b. 1967) and the Kyotango-based Suzuki (b. 1941) share an astonishingly inventive, open-ended, and spontaneous approach to the infinite and variegated possibilities of sound. Since initiating a collaborative relationship in 2005, the duo have embarked on a number of tours in Europe and Asia, exploring site-specific locations ranging from an abandoned factory on the outskirts of Brussels to an underground parking lot in Glasgow. Suzuki and Onda released their first album ma ta ta bi on ORAL_records in 2014. In 2015, Suzuki and Onda had ke i te ki US tour, presented by ISSUE Project Room. This year, they were invited to perform at documenta 14 in Athens.

Onda and Suzuki perform by utilizing unconventional and self-made instruments including analog cassette Walkmans and radios, found pieces of wood, nails, hammers, buckets, marbles, and glass jars, allowing the individual architecture and acoustics of the various sites to guide the flow and development of the performances. The performance begins with the artists in the middle of the space, surrounded by the audience, before gradually moving throughout the environment as the performance unfolds.

Aki Onda is currently on a 2-month ACC research trip to the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan tracing the legacy of Dr. José M. Maceda’s influence on contemporary experimental performance. Akio Suzuki received ACC fellowships in 1980 and 2000.