Akio Suzuki - Soundsphere at the British Museum 13-14 March 2003 Performance / installation in the Round Reading Room Performance and Workshop in the Clore Education Centre Akio Suzuki is internationally acclaimed as a pioneer of sound art yet the breadth of his practice traverses the normal boundaries of this genre to include sculpture, installation and performance art. He created a special sound installation in the British Museum‚s famous Reading Room as a prologue to a live performance in the BP Lecture Theatre introduced by author/composer David Toop. Suzuki played a selection of his unique musical instruments , including the ŒAnalapos‚ and ŒGlass Harmonica‚, which he invented and that have intriguing reverberation properties. He also led a public workshop in the Clore Studio where participants were able to make their own replica Yayoi Earth Flute (Early Yayoi Period, c.300BC) and were taught how to play it in his original style. For the Prologue event, in the Reading Room Akio Suzuki played a Shinto stone flute and presented his Œanalapos‚ sound installation. "The British Museum Reading Room is perfectly suited for the playing of music in much the same way as the dome of a church. This work aims to temporarily liberate a space usually associated with silence, and transform the Reading Room into a listening Room." Akio Suzuki "This was the best kind of magic: transparent, humble, almost childish, yet full of wonder". David Toop, The Wire For more information please visit Akio Suzuki's website. To download edited video click here.     Akio Suzuki