Laurie Anderson is one of America’s most renowned—and daring—creative pioneers. Recognized worldwide as a leader in the use of technology in the arts, Anderson is known widely for her multimedia presentations, casting herself in roles as varied as visual artist, composer, poet, photographer, filmmaker, electronics whiz, vocalist, and instrumentalist. In her new work, Delusion, which will debut at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and be presented by Stanford Lively Arts on May 5, Anderson explores sound and stories in a series of short plays. Using her inventions in vocal processing, signature violin pieces and lush sonic landscapes Anderson creates and inhabits imaginary worlds that become mental movies. Conceived as a ninety-minute technodrama, the new work combines technology, mystery and contemporary short stories in a unique new art form. Related Themes: art, creativity, performance

Ralph Lemon, choreographer and cross-disciplinary performer and artist, inaugurates the Art+Invention Speaker Series, which engages iconic artists in thought-provoking conversations about creativity, innovation and discovery across the disciplines. This conversation will introduce Lemon’s rich portfolio and focus on his Geography Trilogy. The fruit of a 9-year investigation through travel to West Africa, South and East Asia, and the American South, Geography followed the artist’s decision to disband his postmodern dance company and search for a new relationship to his work. Lemon is an artist-in-residence at the Stanford Institute for Diversity in the Arts.

Presented by Stanford Lively Arts and the Stanford Institute for Creativity in the Arts (SiCa) in collaboration with the Institute for Diversity in the Arts (IDA), and the Dance Division, Department of Drama. The Aurora Forum is cosponsored by the Office of the President and Provost and Stanford's Office of Public Affairs.

Related Themes: art, creativity, Dance

Thursday, 2 April, 2009

Art in the Age of Obama
I had the good fortune to attend Peter Sellars' "Art in the Age of Obama" lecture at  Montalvo Arts Center last month. This excellent presentation is now available online, and I urge you to view it. Click here and scroll to "Agency: Peter Sellars"(the interview and lecture are two separate files).

The Aurora Forum hosts this unique conversation on the photographic work of Richard Avedon (1923–2004) and Gordon Parks (1912–2006) with art critics Andy Grundberg, Deborah Willis, and Wanda Corn. Related Themes: art, history, photography

In this installment, we hear from three artists whose work helps reshape our understanding of Iraqi culture and the damage the war has wrought.  They will tell their stories, show their art, and join us in a public conversation. Related Themes: art, Iraq

In anticipation of Stanford Lively Arts’ West Coast premiere of Book of Longing, the Aurora Forum and Lively Arts present Philip Glass and Leonard Cohen together in conversation about their lives, works, and this unique collaboration.
Related Themes: art, music, poetry

In this third of five conversations in our IRAQ: REFRAME series, Abbas Milani, director of Stanford’s Iranian Studies Program, hosts Nada Shabout, an authority on Iraqi art history, and McGuire Gibson, the University of Chicago archaeologist who co-authored Lost Heritage: Antiquities Stolen from Iraq’s Regional Museums, the first academic publication to call attention to the problem of looting after the First Gulf War. Related Themes: art, Iraq

Forty years have passed since the Beatles released The White Album, introducing "Blackbird," "Rocky Raccoon," "Sexy Sadie," "Helter Skelter" and "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" into the cultural lexicon. Please join us for a conversation with three Stanford alums whose research explores the musical and cultural innovations that made the Beatles a powerful force for innovation in society and the arts. Related Themes: art, music, social change