Satie’s “Vexation” would take over 20 hours if one follows his instruction of repeating the short, simple, sweet yet eerie piece 840 times in succession. Ai Onoda based in Tokyo has been known performing the complete piece (or as many times as possible) as a solo performer without taking a toilet break, sleeping or eating in various locations in Japan. He will attempt the act during Harvestworks’ 2024 Summer season at Governors Island, NY until he is stopped.
Location: Starting Site: Building 10a, Nolan Park, Governors Island and around Nolan Park
Date: Saturday August 17, 2024
Time: noon to 6:30 pm
Run Time : (if necessary) As long as possible (or until he is stopped)
“Vexations” is a piano piece composed by Erik Satie (1866-1925). This piece is about one minute long and is repeated 840 times, and it takes about 20 hours to play it through. By the way, the word “vexation” means “harassment,” “displeasure,” “irritation,” etc.
This piece has been performed by many musicians, including John Cage and Toru Takemitsu.
The “repetition” characteristic seen in “Vexations” can be seen not only in modern music but also in design product patterns and modern art works. While “repeating” something in life can be boring and mediocre, it can also be a source of exciting creativity.
While thinking about such things every day, I have been playing Vexations in various places for the past few or so years.
Please note: Onoda may move around in places during the performance at Harvestworks in Governors Island in an attempt to perform it for extended duration.
BIOS
Born in 1988 and living in Tokyo, Ai Onoda is a contemporary artist working in paintings, videos, performances, and installations. He is also the only Japanese to have performed Erik Satie’s “Vexations”, which took 20 hours to complete without a break. Onoda holds a BA from the Musashino Art University and an MFA in the Inter-Media Art from the Tokyo University of the Arts. His works have been exhibited at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, BankART, and Arts Maebashi. He is known to have performed Satie’s “Vexations” at places such as bookstores, cafes, public restrooms besides art spaces. Onoda also curated an art exhibition and organized a series of poetry, literature, and philosophy workshops at the Hirosegawa Court, an art space in Gunma, Japan.
Onoda currently works as a research assistant at Musashino Art University.
Instagram : @ai_onoda
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006795105782
X(Twitter) : @hottokenaiyou
INTERVIEWS AND PRESS COVERAGE
Article on Ai Onoda’s work “marutoshikaku”:
https://yorozoonews.jp/article/14553011 (in Japanese)
