Spirit Known and Unknown (Rephrase): A Performance by Aki Onda

Name: Spirit Known and Unknown (Rephrase): A Performance by Aki Onda
Start: 2025-10-22T19:00:00-07:00
Location: Vancouver Public Library Central Branch

Schedule

Wed, 22 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

Vancouver Public Library Central Branch | Vancouver, BC

𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 (𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘦)
Artist and composer Aki Onda has spent decades amassing a collection of highly unique handbells and presenting them in performances and installations all over the world. As part of Field Notes concert series, he will now bring this remarkable practice to the Central Library for a performance titled "Spirit Known and Unknown (Rephrase)" featuring a selection of his brass bells.
Bells are mysterious objects. It is said that they were born when ancient people banged on resonant surfaces to frighten away evil. In many cultures, they are still used to call spirits. They appear in church towers, they are often used as symbols of peace, and, in times of war, have also been melted down and turned into bullets.
Onda relays: “Playing bells can be eerie at times. I get the sensation that ringing them connects me to their former owners who may have rung them. The actions recall lost sounds and sense histories that would otherwise be erased. It’s like collaborating with forces such as spirits and ancestors which transcends the sense of time and space… .”
This event is free: RSVP via the VPL website
Please note: This performance will take place in two parts. It begins in the Grand Staircase on Level 8. After a brief intermission, part two resumes in the atrium (level 2)
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Aki Onda is an artist and composer known for his experimental approach to sound and multimedia art. His work often explores themes of memory, space, and perception, blending field recordings with electronic and acoustic elements. Onda’s practice spans various media, including sound installations, performances, and visual art.
Photo Credit: Chris Uhren
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Presented by Publik Secrets as part of Field Notes:
upcoming editions, presented in collaboration with the Vancouver Public Library transforms the familiar places of the library into resonant sites of shared listening & reflection. This initiative is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts
Publik Secrets enables artist-led initiatives that spark new configurations of artists, audience, and community. Our work takes place on the unceded, ancestral territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Our programming is supported by the BC Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, and the City of Vancouver's Community and Artists Shifting Culture Program. Find out more about our projects at: www.publiksecrets.com