Rupture by Aki Onda

Bodies beyond the notion of control… The trance and possession of evil spirits fading into the darkness… What’s there, under the burst of the glaring sunlight?

“Rupture” was inspired by the southern Italian folktale of Tarantism, originated in the Puglia and Salento regions. Tarantism is said to be an epidemic provoked by the bite of the tarantula, the small poisonous spider active in the summertime. The bite causes catalepsy, perspiration, palpitations, epilepsy, and leads those bit to believe they are undergoing an extreme spiritual possession. Its victims were mostly women, more likely to be bit during harvest. As is often the case with ritual and superstition, the symptoms began to take religious significance, inspiring a strain of folk music tradition in the region developed as an antidote. According to popular legend, listening to the sound of particular music instruments (such as violin, accordion or tambourine) and being exposed to certain colors (such as green, yellow, and red, waved as scarves in the healing ritual) provoked an outburst of rage that made the afflicted woman (known as a tarantata) dance feverishly until she collapsed in bed and coalesced. The legend and practice were widespread until the 18th century, subsequently slowly fading out of public consciousness.

Onda was inspired by the phenomenon and began to listen to the traditional folk music of the region. These folk pieces are quoted into the tracks, mostly in indirect ways but occasionally directly sampled. The tracks were initially composed as the soundtrack for a dance piece, SU-EN Butoh Company’s RAPTURE, premiered at Dansens Hus in Stockholm. Onda selected the images of the Japanese photographer Daisuke Yokota for the album cover. His eerie and uncanny images, evoking the strong detachment from reality, helped Onda to develop his original inspiration.

Aki Onda is an artist and composer. His musical and visual works are often catalyzed by and structured around memories—personal, collective, historical—such as his widely-known project "Cassette Memories", drawn from three decades of field recordings (or, as Onda refers to them, ‘sound diaries’). After residing in New York for many years, he currently lives and works in Mito, Japan.

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