#arts12uci

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Laurie Anderson's O Superman, as displayed in MoMA, NY

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Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson (June 5th, 1947), born Laura Phillips Anderson, is an American experimental artist and musician.  Though she earned a degree in sculpture at Columbia University, she continued her career in the arts as a musician, focusing on the violin and keyboards.  Anderson gained inspiration in downtown New York where many young artists performed.  She soon became one of them and put on street performances.  Among these informal acts, one of her famous shows, Duets on Ice, involves Anderson playing her violin on a block of ice in her ice skates.  As the ice began to melt, the ending approached.  In addition to being a performer, Anderson is also the inventor of several experimental musical instruments, which she incorporated in many of her recordings.  These include the tape-bow violin, the talking stick, and the “audio drag,” in which she uses to deepen her voice.  Rising as a visual artist, Anderson released seven albums under Warner Bros.  In 1981, the single “O Superman” not only helped increase Anderson’s fame outside the “art world,” but also placed her second on the national British pop charts.  Now, married to Lou Reed, whom she had collaborated with, Anderson continues her works as a musician as she displays her aesthetic talents overseas.

Sources: 1; 2; 3; 4; 5