Laurie Anderson To Be Fall 2009 ITP Visiting Artist in Residence

By Richard Pierce

      The Tisch School of the Arts Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) recently announced that performance artist Laurie Anderson, one of America’s most renowned and daring creative pioneers, will be a visiting artist in fall 2009. Anderson will meet with ITP students as well as participate in a series of conversations throughout the academic year.
      The Visiting Artist Residency will offer Anderson the chance to share ideas with ITP faculty and students, and for them to in turn be inspired by her creative process.
      “Usually I’m something of a hermit, but right now I’m working on a few projects that are perfect for the workshop situation in the Interactive Telecommunications Program,” says Anderson. “Tossing ideas around and trying out new techniques are the greatest fun, and I’m looking forward to doing things with the students and faculty of ITP.”
      Anderson is best known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology. As a writer, director, visual artist, and vocalist, she has created works that span the worlds of art, theater, and experimental music.
      Her recording career, launched by “O Superman” in 1981, includes the soundtrack to her feature film Home of the Brave and the recorded release Life on a String (2001). Anderson’s live shows range from simple spoken word to elaborate multi-media stage performances such as Songs and Stories for Moby Dick (1999). Anderson has published seven books, and her visual work has been presented in major museums around the world.
      In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA, which culminated in her touring solo performance The End of the Moon. Recent projects include a series of audio-visual installations and a high definition film, Hidden Inside Mountains, created for World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. In 2007 she received the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for her outstanding contributions to the arts. She recently completed a two-year worldwide tour of her latest performance piece, Homeland, which will be released on Nonesuch Records this year.
      “Laurie Anderson will bring an extraordinary new dimension to the ITP creative community,” says ITP Tokyo Broadcasting System Chair Red Burns. “We feel very fortunate to have her here.”