Abstract

For over half of a century, Renaissance woman and artist Laurie Anderson has written monologues, recorded multiple albums, made movies, travelled around the world playing electronic and orchestral concerts, taught art history, produced narrative performance art pieces-- and she is still creating. Anderson draws inspiration from sources that range from John Cage’s compositions and philosophies to conversations she has overheard, from spiritual sources relating to her conservative Christian upbringing to insights coming out of her current Buddhist practice. Her performances focus on personal narratives and interests that highlight binaries of the internal personal and the shared human experience. Bridging the gap between mainstream and avant-garde, Anderson is able to address the most profound of human experiences—love and connection, in its many forms. Community in this thesis is defined as a couple or group of people who feel a sense of fellowship with one another, not necessarily caused by geographical, ethical, or political affiliation. The artist’s ability to concisely express the complex emotions that constitute the chemistry of community and relationship is a result of balancing and fluidly integrating all of the forces in her performances and prioritizing the goal of fellowship. This paper will discuss the evolution of Laurie Anderson’s work, influences, collaborators, and predecessors, and will explore their significance in the interconnected web of human relations that her creations construct and inhabit.

How to Cite