AKIO SUZUKI

oto-date Brussels 2013

1.
This oto-date is a spot on the southern
edge facing the Chaussée de Waterloose-
steenweg. By focusing your sight and
hearing near and far, you can heighten
your aural awareness.
2.
If you face the corner of the building at
this spot where Avenue Ducpétiauxlaan
and Rue Henri Wafelaertsstraat meet, you
can hear the sound of the streets coming
at you from both directions. You can prac-
tice alternating the side you listen to and
heighten your sense of listening.
3.
Approximately 100 meters long, Rue Félix
Delhassestraat collects sounds by its
curved nature. This quiet area close to
a prison allows for clear observations of
sounds that enter the street.
4.
At this oto-date, the sound of tramcars
coming in and out from underground
resonates incessantly. For the people of
this area, it is also their lullaby. Like these
neighbors, the attempt is to admire this
sound environment.
5.
At this spot on the tip of the corner of
Avenue Ducpétiauxlaan and Avenue Albert-
laan, where the Albert Metro Station is
located, the curve of the street obscures
viewing from your left eye and becomes
a place of experimentation.
6.
There is an elementary school on Rue de la
Perche | Wipstraat. When you encounter it
during drop-off and pick-up times, you will
find Arab family members leaning against
the wall to admire their children. Joining
them and trying to catch the sounds com-
ing from inside the walls by ‘sound-chance’
is one source of entertainment.
7.
The middle region where Chaussée de
Forest | Vorstsesteenweg, Rue Guillaume
Tell | Willem Tellstraat, Rue Gisbert
Combazstraat and Chaussée de Forest |
Vorstsesteenweg cross (×) each other, you
can find a ‘double oto-date spot’. If two
people were to stand there with their backs
resting against each other, they would hear
two different environments despite being
in the same spot.
8.
There is a kiosk with a round roof at Place
de Bethlehemplein. If you stand in the
middle of it and make some noise by
doing things like stomping on the ground,
you can hear a perfect example of flutter
echoing. This sounds a little like a trill:
prlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrlrl ‘
9.
At the 6-way junction where streets like
Rue de Prague | Praagstraat and Rue
Dethystraat meet, there stands one Plata-
nus tree. Coincidentally, when I was there
somebody called out: “Akio! I heard your
performance in Leuven in 2010”. Respect-
fully borrowing this black man’s name, I
decided to call this place the ‘Tunde-point.’
I also recommend assimilating to the tree
which continues to listen there.
10.
In order to get used to the city, Aki Onda
and I walked around the streets of Brussels
the day before my search for oto-date spots.
It was then that I was shown a small street
called Rue de Celeri | Selderijstraat. At
places like this which seems to avoid the
hustle and bustle of the city, I somehow
end up looking up towards the sky...
11.
If you linger at the oto-date spot at the
T-junction of Rue de Moscou | Moskou-
straat you can see peeking out beyond
its narrow and quiet path, the wide and
busy Chaussée de Waterloosesteenweg.
It is close to the Hallepoort | Porte de Hal
Metro station. So, depending on the time
of day you can peep into (listen to) all sorts
of dramas of life.
12.
Close to the La Maison du Folklore et des
Traditions | Huis van Folklore en Tradities
on Rue de la Victoire | Overwinningsstraat
where Rue de la Filature | Spinnerijstraat
merges with Rue de Moscou | Moskou-
straat, one can feel the same sensation as
lingering in front of an inviting painting.
‘(H)ear. Live/Settle. Listen.’
13.
Next to Rue Tasson - Snelstraat which has
the appearance of a driveway, there is a
glass building. When you stand in its clear-
ing, you can see Chaussée de Charleroise-
steenweg in front of you. The people and
cars there look like they are coming and
going across the glass border. I wonder
how this affects our sense of hearing...
14.
The maple trees on Place Dumontplein
create a lush umbrella and if you linger
under them the flora will loosen up your
hearing senses.
15.
According to the map, I halted my steps
by an entrance on Rue de Suisse | Zwitser-
landstraat close to Musée Belge de L’ascen-
seur. If you stand on the white line in the
middle of the street markings, it is appar-
ently a one-way street. So, sometimes cars
will come towards you as if to impede on
your listening.
16.
Also on Rue de Suisse | Zwitserlandstraat,
there is a modern-looking building and
if you take a seat on the concrete window
frame, you will find your body wrapped
warmly by it... You can better steep into
your sound-collecting sensibilities.
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TEXT Akio Suzuki ENGLISH TRANSLATION Aiko Masubichi PROJECT COORDINATION Aki Onda
Realized in the framework of Tuned City Brussels 2013 · www.q-o2.be - www.tunedcity.net and as part of
the Bessst project · www.bessst.be
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