Iconic BAM Artists

Laurie Anderson is a leading contemporary performance artist. Known primarily for her multimedia presentations, she has cast herself in roles as varied as visual artist, composer, poet, photographer, filmmaker, electronics whiz, vocalist, and instrumentalist. Anderson has toured the United States and internationally with her shows which range from simple spoken word performances to elaborate multimedia events. Major works include United States: Parts I-IV  (1983, Spring Season), Empty Places  (1989 Next Wave), The Nerve Bible  (1995), and Songs and Stories from Moby Dick  (1999 Next Wave)-a multimedia stage performance based on the novel by Herman Melville. In the fall of 2001, Anderson toured the US and Europe with a three-person band, performing music from her album Life on a String. She has also presented many solo works, including Happiness, which premiered in 2001 and toured internationally through the spring of 2003. In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA out of which she developed her solo performance The End of the Moon (2005 Spring Season). Her score for Trisha Brown's acclaimed piece O złożony/O composite (2009 Next Wave) premiered at the Opera Garnier in Paris in December 2004. Anderson was also part of the team that created the opening ceremony for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Anderson and Lou Reed curated the 2010 Vivid Live Festival at the Sydney Opera House. Homeland, Anderson's first studio recording in 10 years, was released by Nonesuch Records in 2010.