New York Live Arts Announces 2015 'Live Ideas' Festival, April 15-19

New York Live Arts today announced initial programming details for its third annual Live Ideas festival, taking place April 15 - 19, 2015.

Curated by world renowned visual artist, inventor and performer Laurie Anderson in conjunction with New York Live Arts' Artistic Director Bill T. Jones, the 2015 Live Ideas festival, titled S K Y - Force and Wisdom in America Today, will combine the arts and social issues in synergistic ways over five days of musical performances, lectures, original dance works, panels, a late-night lounge and more. Questioning the direction of modern culture, S K Y - Force and Wisdom in America Today will bring together some of the world's most celebrated innovators and provocateurs to build an explosive meeting of contemporary art and ideas, creatively examining the most important political, social, environmental and artistic issues facing society.

"In the United States we have traditionally valued freedom, social justice and a special kind of exuberant confidence. So now I find myself paradoxically exhilarated and depressed by living in contemporary America," said Anderson. "As effective social action becomes increasingly more difficult in a society that is deeply divided, unjust and often toxic, it's urgent to question our direction and ethics. I am both excited and honored to be collaborating with Live Arts on the third installment of Live Ideas. Spring is a time for change, for jumping up and heading out. I hope that, through the many wonderful events in this festival, we can start off on this journey together."

The 2015 Live Ideas festival events will activate the New York City community via an array of artistic and intellectual offerings. Among the highlights are a preview section of Figure A Sea, a new collaborative work by Anderson and celebrated choreographer Deborah Hay, set to premiere in September 2015 by the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm; a complete day with the music of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, featuring multimedia installations, a cross-disciplinary panel discussion and a performance of his chamber works (curated by the Arvo Pärt Project at St. Vladimir's Seminary and musician/theologian Peter Bouteneff); and an evening with Hal Willner and Chloe Webb featuring words and music by two generations of New York writers-Kathy Acker and Lou Reed-and boasting rarely heard works by Lou Reed.

"Live Ideas provides an opportunity for our growing community to question the past, present and future of the culture at large," said Jones. "This year's Curator, visionary artist Laurie Anderson, suggested 'The sky' as our theme and we couldn't agree more heartedly. The sky-a multidimensional symbol of aspiration, vastness, change, threat and now information storage-is a fitting image for this year's festival. Through performance, dialogue and practice, we look forward to challenging and inspiring the larger public to think and act. We hope you'll join us."

Launched in April 2013 by New York Live Arts, the internationally recognized destination for innovative movement-based artistry, Live Ideas is an annual arts and ideas festival offering artists of all disciplines an opportunity to engage audiences and come together for lively discussion and exploration under a new theme each year. The first edition of Live Ideas, titled The Worlds of Oliver Sacks, paid tribute to the acclaimed neurologist. The 2014 iteration, James Baldwin, This Time!, launched "The Year of Baldwin," a year-long, City-wide celebration of Baldwin's work in conjunction with various institutions including Harlem Stage, Columbia University and its Office of Community Outreach and Education, The School of the Arts, The Richard Avedon Foundation, The New School and its Vera List Center for Art and Politics and the School of Writing and more.

Programming information and complete details for S K Y - Force and Wisdom in America Today will be released in January 2015.

DETAILS:

Live Ideas
S K Y - Force and Wisdom in America Today
April 15 - 19, 2015
219 W 19th Street, New York, NY10011

Single tickets will go on sale to New York Live Arts members on January 26, 2015 and to the general public on February 16, 2015. Call 212-924-0077 or visit www.newyorklivearts.org. Box Office hours: Monday-Friday 1 - 9pm; Saturday-Sunday 10am to 9pm.

About Laurie Anderson: Laurie Anderson is one of America's most renowned-and daring-creative pioneers. She is best known for her multimedia presentations and innovative use of technology. As writer, director, visual artist and vocalist she has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater and experimental music.

Her recording career, launched by "O Superman" in 1981, includes the soundtrack to her feature film "Home of the Brave" and "Life on a String" (2001). Anderson's live shows range from simple spoken word to elaborate multi-media stage performances such as "Songs and Stories for Moby Dick" (1999). Anderson has published seven books and her visual work has been presented in major museums around the world.

In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA, culminating in her 2004 touring solo performance "The End of the Moon." Recent projects include a series of audio-visual installations and a high definition film, "Hidden Inside Mountains," created for World Expo 2005 in Aichi, Japan. In 2008, she completed a two-year worldwide tour of her performance piece, "Homeland," which was released as an album on Nonesuch Records in June 2010. Anderson's solo performance "Delusion" debuted at the Vancouver Cultural Olympiad in February, 2010 and toured internationally throughout 2011. In 2010, a retrospective of her visual and installation work opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil and later traveled to Rio de Janiero.

In 2011, her exhibition of all new work titled "Forty-Nine Days In the Bardo" opened at the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. In February of 2013, she debuted her piece "Landfall," a performance with the Kronos Quartet. She is currently artist in residence at CAP in UCLA in Los Angeles and EMPAC in Troy New York. Anderson lives in New York City.

ABOUT NEW YORK LIVE ARTS - New York Live Arts is an internationally recognized destination for innovative movement-based artistry, offering audiences access to art and artists notable for their conceptual rigor, formal experimentation and active engagement with the social, political and cultural currents of our times. At the center of this identity is Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director, a world-renowned choreographer, dancer, theater director and writer.

We commission, produce and present performances in our 20,000 square foot home, which includes a 184-seat theater and two 1,200 square foot studios that can be combined into one large studio. New York Live Arts serves as home base for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, provides an extensive range of participatory programs for adults and young people and supports the continuing professional development of artists.

Photo Credit: Ves Pitts