Laurie Anderson's commencement speech on art, science and space

Gayle from the School of Visual Arts in NYC sez, "Acclaimed multimedia artist Laurie Anderson gave the commencement address this year at the School of Visual Arts' (SVA) graduation ceremony, held at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on May 10. In a speech that was at turns thoughtful and lighthearted, she interwove stories from her own career beginnings, including lessons learned while studying at SVA with Sol Lewitt, anecdotes from her experience as NASA's first artist-in-residence and advice for the 2012 graduates, encouraging them to relish the freedom inherent in being an artist. Anderson explained, 'The reason I'm an artist is that it's one of the few things that you can do in this world in which you are totally free -- absolutely no one tells you what you can do and what you can't do.' Anderson ended her address with a treat for the audience: she played a tune using what she called "a pillow recorder" as a make-shift harmonica. Afterward, Anderson accepted an honorary degree presented by SVA Board Member Janet Knox."

NASA cancelled the Artist-in-Residence program after Anderson's tenure, thanks to an unnamed senator's austerity witch-hunt, and Anderson makes a good case for what an artist adds to a venture like NASA. She's a fascinating and insightful speaker, and manages to say intelligent things about art without being esoteric or opaque, which is a rare gift.

5. Commencement Speaker's Address: Laurie Anderson (Thanks, Gayle!)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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http://www.brainwavez.org/about/people/watson_mandy_j.html Mandy J Watson

Surely the video uploader could have chosen a more flattering thumbnail frame?
- felixdacat
  
  So I’m not the only one who noticed
- silkox
  
  That picture is totally why I clicked — it says Not Just Another Commencement Speech.
  - http://www.brainwavez.org/about/people/watson_mandy_j.html Mandy J Watson
    
    To my mind, the fact that it’s Laurie Anderson means it’s Not Just Another Commencement Speech.
- chaopoiesis
  
  Not a problem – Anderson’s never been concerned with flattery. Trust me on this.
miasm

to paraphrase: “You need to make something to find out what you want to make.”
Truer words were never spoken. Probably.
This comment is a working model.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LTATG2IJEC2UGDALLY5JFMZDRY Jesus

While NASA doesn’t have an official “artist in residence” program, they sort of skirt that by calling the position a “visual strategist,” but the roles are actually pretty similar. Check it out.

http://blogs.laweekly.com/arts/2012/05/dan_goods_people_2012.php
Dan is by all means an artist, employed by NASA for the sole purpose of contributing artistic work in support of the mission.
- http://twitter.com/janjamm jan angevine
  
  A visual artist in support of a mission is totally different from an artisit-in-residence who is not tasked for visuals for a mission. The “visual stategist” may be an artist, true. But this is not an artist-in-residence.
nixiebunny

It’s a pillow speaker, which being a voice-coil speaker, also works as a microphone that fits in your mouth.
- wrybread
  
  Are you sure that’s what’s happening? I thought it was a bit simpler than that: the speaker was playing a pre-recorded piece, which she was altering by altering the shape of her mouth.
  - nixiebunny
    
    I just watched it again. The device is an old-fashioned iPod, and it appears that she is playing the song and modulating the sound from the speaker with her lips. There is a bit of delay between a new note and her mouth opening. So yeah, you’re right.
- leaded
  
  my wager- she played the notes on a small keyboard through the pillow speaker and bent the notes through mouth shape, like a harmnica.
http://thisisonlya.blogspot.com robcat2075

I nominate William Proxmire as my suspect for “the unnamed senator.”

Whenever he needed attention he’d issue a “Golden Fleece” award to berate some science project.
http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios

Sad about NASA no longer having an artist in residence, but you know what? It’s 2012 and a new day has already dawned for private space exploration. I wonder if Space X has an artist in residence program?
Bob Knetzger

I was there in person and enjoyed Laurie Anderson’s talk and performance piece. The highlight for me, tho, was seeing my daughter Laura Knetzger graduate with honors from the School of Visual Arts!
http://twitter.com/girardbyday Michael Girard

I am surprised that an artist who has scrupulously avoided bearing any really serious witness to her time is now exhorting young artists to do so. Better late than never, I guess. Still, no surprise that she’s taken with Occupy, another all signifier and no cattle kind of undertaking. Like her work.
- Diogenes
  
  Oh, get over yourself. She does what she wants, and many people like what she does. What ground have you broken that you feel you can piss on her?
  - http://twitter.com/girardbyday Michael Girard
    
    I guess there might be some substance in your reply if my comment were about her failure to break new ground or over whether or not a lot of people find her gimmicky, shallow work interesting. Reread and try again.
    - Diogenes
      
      You edited your original post. Now you’re saying something very different to cover your earlier bile. How tediously un-clever. And now your off in an Occupy whine. Like I said before, get over yourself.
      - http://twitter.com/writebastard Ian Wood
        
        I edited this comment before I posted it.
      - Diogenes
        
        You stopped too soon.
- http://twitter.com/janjamm jan angevine
  
  Either you are a nihilist or you know nothing about her work. She has always been a witness to her time in the most challenging ways. But her work is much more than that, she has continually worked to reveal our deepest, most troubling communal delusions.
  - http://twitter.com/writebastard Ian Wood
    
    He could be a nihilist and know nothing about her work.
http://germanwotd.com Amelia_G

and I have to say this, though I don’t really get it… Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed have apparently been extraordinarily tolerant or kind with my schizophrenic kindergarten friend when he travels to New York. Conversely, when I travel to the homedorf, my schizophrenic kindergarten friend makes frequent sense.
http://germanwotd.com Amelia_G

omg, she’s hilarious as usual! Merci, Laurie
Birko

Brilliant speech!
Thanks for posting Cory.

My all time favourite performance is Laurie Anderson doing Home of the Brave in Melbourne, Australia, on 27 March 1986.
The show was delayed by an hour, to allow people through the city to get to the Arts Centre.
Melbourne had it’s first taste of what’s now described as “terrorism”that night.
The show was more poignant to me, as my hometown also lost it’s perceived innocence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Street_Bombing
ChicagoD

So, I’m sitting at graduation and the speaker starts going “huh huh huh huh huh huh” and then says “O, Superman . . .” and I’m thinking, wait, am I tripping balls, or what?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=749997097 Rosin Ffield

What’s wrong about being “esoteric”? Even science is obliged to go “esoteric” (Quantum Physics, 100th Monkey Phenomenon, Zilberbaum’s matrix, etc.).

What does LA have to teach us about “art”? She has been widely promoted and glamorised — she has no subvesrive or fresh feel to her “art”, she is from an old age of blue-eyed, artificially promoted elite-pleasers.

As for NASA, who frigging cares about NASA: ALL of us see (and often interact) with entities zig-zagging and appearing disappearing in the skies, who the hell gives a flying fig about a fake institution designed as a facade covering the truth about extraordinarry technology (and other facts…)being conealed from the people… (and my anger is not directed at Corry guy who’s articles i do appreciate greatly..)
- Quiet Wyatt
  
  Trolly troll is tripping balls?