Laurie Anderson to Speak on Designing and Customizing Instruments for Performance and Recording

Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson

(TROY, N.Y.) – Performance artist and musician Laurie Anderson will discuss her ever-evolving development of new instruments and interfaces for her productions and performances, and her “new rig,” which finally allows her to travel with a suitcase of her custom configuration of instruments, in a free talk at EMPAC on Thursday, February 14, 2013, at 7pm. Anderson will also discuss her new work with the Kronos Quartet, which premieres in March as part of the inaugural performances of the Bing Concert Hall at Stanford University.

(Seats in the EMPAC theater are entirely reserved. The talk, however, will be live streamed from the theater to the concert hall and all will be accommodated. Reservations are not needed for concert hall seating, which is free. At the conclusion of the talk, Anderson will make a brief appearance in the concert hall.)

Anderson has invented several technological devices for use in her recordings and performance art shows, including voice filters, a tape-bow violin, and a talking stick. In 2002, she was appointed NASA’s first artist-in-residence, and she was also part of the team that created the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. She has published six books, produced numerous videos, films, radio pieces, and original scores for dance and film. In 2007, she received the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for her outstanding contribution to the arts. She lives in New York City.

Later this spring on Thursday, May 2, 2013, Anderson will screen many of her film works. The evening will include special guest and arts department professor Pauline Oliveros, who will join Anderson on stage to play music together to a silent film. Tickets will be available to the public for purchase on Tuesday, March 12.

Anderson, distinguished artist-in-residence at EMPAC, is one of America’s most renowned performance artists. Her genre-defying work encompasses performance, film, music, installation, writing, photography, and sculpture. She is widely known for her multimedia presentations and musical recordings and has numerous major works to her credit, including United States I-V (1983), Empty Places (1990), Stories from the Nerve Bible (1993), Songs and Stories for Moby Dick (1999), and Life on a String (2001), among others. She has had countless collaborations with an array of artists, from Jonathan Demme and Brian Eno to Bill T. Jones and Peter Gabriel to John Zorn and Lou Reed.

To reserve tickets, visit the EMPAC Box Office or call 518.276.3921. The Box Office is open Monday-Friday, 9AM-6PM and Saturday noon-6PM.

The distinguished artist-in-residency program is supported by the Jaffe Fund for Experimental Media and Performing Arts.

 

 

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