The Films of Laurie Anderson with special guest Pauline Oliveros

The Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York announces The Films of Laurie Anderson, an evening of screenings by EMPAC distinguished artist-in-residence Laurie Anderson featuring a special guest performance with Rensselaer Arts professor and composer Pauline Oliveros. The screenings will take place in the Concert Hall at 5 and 8PM on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

The back-to-back presentations will provide audiences with a unique opportunity to be fully immersed in Laurie Anderson’s films and videos. She will lead us through two separate screening programs, including many of her works. The 8PM presentation will be capped off with a screening of a silent film to which Anderson and Pauline Oliveros play together.

One of America’s most renowned performance artists, Laurie Anderson’s genre-crossing work encompasses performance, film, music, installation, writing, photography, and sculpture. She is widely known for her multimedia presentations and musical recordings. She has had countless collaborations with an array of artists, from Jonathan Demme and Brian Eno to Bill T. Jones and Peter Gabriel. 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.

Pauline Oliveros’ life as a composer, performer, and humanitarian is about opening her own and others’ senses to the many facets of sound. Since the 1960s, she has profoundly influenced American music through her work with improvisation, meditation, electronic music, myth, and ritual. All of Oliveros’ work emphasizes musicianship, attention strategies, and improvisational skills. Many credit her with being the founder of present day meditative music, and she has been celebrated worldwide. Sounding the Margins, a forty-year retrospective, was recently released in a six CD boxed set from Deep Listening.

Tickets are $6 for each screening; to see both, tickets must be purchased separately for each.

Evelyn’s Café will open at 4 PM with a full menu of meals, snacks, and beverages as well as a selection of wines. Service continues between and after the screenings. Parking is available in the Rensselaer parking lot on College Avenue.

More information can be found on the EMPAC website: empac.rpi.edu. Questions? Call the EMPAC Box Office: 518.276.3921.

(photo by Travis Cano)