The Works Presents returns with its new eight-part series in which John Kelly meets key figures from the worlds of film, literature, music, theatre and the visual arts.
In the second episode of the series, John meets Laurie Anderson, who has crossed boundaries so effectively that she has become almost an institution of innovation.
Watch The Works Presents: Laurie Anderson in full here.
From breaking into the Top 40 pop-charts as a performance artist to serving as the first artist-in-residence at NASA, Anderson consistently engages audiences worldwide with experimental work. In May 2017, she will take up a unique residency at the National Concert Hall in Dublin.
Her 40-year career bucks classification - incorporating performance art, music, spoken word, video, and more. To mention John Zorn, Lou Reed, and Philip Glass only glosses her collaborations with the American avant-garde. She's also crossed over in interesting and unexpected ways, whether voicing a singing tot in The Rugrats Movie, or hitting #2 on the 1981 UK Singles Chart with O Superman.
Yet Laurie describes herself as “Just a storyteller. What I do is the world’s oldest art form.” In conversation with John, she talks about her childhood, and her art, which she has used to explore three major deaths in her life - those of her husband Lou Reed, her own mother, and her beloved Rat Terrier Lolabelle.
Her award-winning documentary Heart of a Dog is visually stunning, with Anderson's wonderfully poignant music and dreamlike use of graphics. Discussing this work gives insight into Anderson’s own creativity; she engages with John with her wry sense of humour, but with a great sense of fun and self-depreciation.
Always highly challenging in her political art, Laurie also also shares her concerns about the recent seismic changes in America - and the possible consequences.
The Works Presents: Laurie Anderson, Tuesday 7th February, RTÉ One at 11.10pm - and watch previous episode in the series here.
