November 20, 2001

Laurie Anderson Offers Work-in-Progress Showing at MASS MoCA

New Performance Reflects Anderson's Embrace of Storytelling

(North Adams, MA) On Friday and Saturday, December 14 and 15, at 7 p.m. Laurie Anderson will perform a new solo work-in-progress featuring stories performed to accompaniment by non-electronic, mainly acoustic instruments. Anderson's new performance represents a break from her previous work which has centered on the exploration of new technology in performance. In the piece she will present at MASS MoCA, Anderson largely abandons the electronica for which she has become famous.

"After using a lot of technology for years, I'm trying to work with as little equipment as possible," Anderson explains. "Also I've been experimenting with putting myself in unfamiliar and awkward situations so this piece will include a kind of report of these experiences." Anderson's new work will look at contemporary culture through various filters: synthetic language, love songs, animal communication and techno burn out.

Laurie Anderson's showing is part of MASS MoCA's MASS Manufacturing series. In its role as a laboratory for contemporary art, MASS MoCA established MASS Manufacturing artist residencies to provide performing artists, theatrical innovators, dancers, visual artists, and musicians the opportunity to develop and explore new works. Each MASS Manufacturing residency culminates in a public work-in-progress showing. The artists use the showings to try out new ideas and gauge audience reaction to the work and have often welcomed questions and feedback after the performance. Artists who have participated in MASS Manufacturing residencies include Shirin Neshat, David Dorfman, Lee Breuer and Basil Twist with Mabou Mines, and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar of Urban Bush Women, among others. In addition to Anderson, upcoming residencies include Marlies Yearby and Stacy Dawson in January, 2002.

MASS MoCA serves as a testing ground for works that explore new territory, and employ new media and materials. The institution shares the behind-the-scenes process of creation with visitors and artists alike, often challenging the conventional distinctions between artistic disciplines and forms.

Tickets for Laurie Anderson's Work-In-Progress Showing are $7. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located off Marshall Street in North Adams from 11 am until 5 P.M. closed Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org