Laurie Anderson
Label: Nonesuch Records
Performance Artist / Spoken Word from NYC New York
The End of the Moon is the second in a trilogy of new solo performance works that combine stories, songs, and music in an intimate and low-tech setting. Anderson’s new show will also include music for violin and electronics creating a “duet” between the spoken word and her signature musical sound.
Following the first piece in this series Happiness (2002) in which Anderson told stories about her time spent working at a McDonald's in New York City and living on an Amish Farm, the new work also draws upon Anderson's recent experiences and research. Part travelogue, part personal theories, history and dreams, “The End of the Moon” looks at the relationships between war, esthetics, spirituality and consumerism. Collectively, Anderson envisions this solo trilogy as an 'epic poem' which aims to paint a large picture of contemporary American culture.
For her new work, Anderson began examining the question, “Who taught you what beauty is?” Unable to provide an answer, Anderson set off in search of one. She began to delve into what people think of as “beauty” and began by embarking on a range of physical and philosophical explorations of the natural world. In addition to her travels as NASA’s artist-in-residence Anderson set off on a series of multi-day walks in various locations including Greece, France, England and Sri Lanka.
One of today’s premier performance artists, Laurie Anderson has consistently intrigued, entertained and challenged audiences. Anderson’s artistic career has cast her in roles as various as visual artist, composer, poet, storyteller, photographer, filmmaker, electronics whiz, vocalist and instrumentalist. She has collaborated with other great artists of our time: notably William Burroughs, Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel, Philip Glass, Wim Wenders, Robert Lepage and Lou Read. In addition to this new work, Anderson has been commissioned to create a film as well as an audio-visual walk for 2005 World Expo in Aiichi, Japan. She also recently worked on the team that created the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Fearless, creative, insightful, fascinating – Laurie Anderson is a passionate artist whose work illuminates, challenges and thoroughly entertains. Her Vancouver performance promises to be the premiere concert event of the fall.