Word: anderson
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...control and power surrounding women in America. Her use of an electronically deepened voice to imitate Reagan is at once funny and disturbing--like Reagan himself. A comic video interlude in which she appears as a freaky video dwarf reveals her light-heartedness and willingness to have fun. Anderson is not afraid to laugh at herself, but she maintains a serious impassioned monologue...
...Anderson was ruthless in her analysis of American traits and flaws. Again and again, she cited examples of American ignorance, hatred, violence and selfishness. Her performance could have been an angry diatribe, or sour polemic, but it was not. Instead it became all the more effective for the endearing, rousing honesty which was embodied in her forthright, quirky style...
...Anderson discussed art often in her performance, referring to the NEA controversy and the disappearance of the avant-garde. She jokingly speculated about a hypothetical Museum of Recent Art, bemoaning the difficulty in defining the word "modern" in a world where time is measured in split-second sound bytes and MTV video flashes...
...Learning From Performers discussion sponsored by the Office for the Arts earlier the same day, Anderson discussed art with Harvard undergraduates. She emphasized the role of fear in her art; fear became a major component of her performance, both in the audience's forced self-inspection and in Anderson's own self-referentiality. When asked about sacrificing artistic integrity for popularity, Anderson replied that the artist should create something he or she believes in and stick with it. Her strong conviction in the value of personal conception and self-definition was certainly mirrored in her outspoken performance...
Voice From the Beyond represents a move away from her more musically-oriented efforts, like Home of the Brave and Strange Angels. Her Sanders Theatre performance relies on something more subtle and elusive than big synthesized sound. Anderson must enthrall the audience (for the most part) with her own insight and verbal acuity. For the most part she succeeds in this ambitious enterprise. Voices continually refers to the meaning of the future--one can't help but wonder what the future will mean for innovative Laurie Anderson...