Heart of a Dog: Laurie Anderson
HEART OF A DOG remains in its completed state the original personal essay for Arte, although in a longer form than commissioned. Bursting open the conventions of the documentary format and the essay film, Anderson’s first feature since the 1986 concert movie HOME OF THE BRAVE is a collage-like distillation of Anderson’s key signatures and themes, among them the use of multimedia elements, a fascination with language, and an engagement with technology. Much of the film was shot on a variety of small digital cameras, including iPhone, drone cameras and GoPro. The simple animation employed in the film’s surreal opening chapter, in which Anderson dreams of giving birth to Lolabelle, is the artist’s own.
ABOUT 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. 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 which culminated 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 2007 she received the prestigious Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize for her outstanding contribution to the arts.
OMTimes had a pleasure to Interview Laurie about -The Heart of a Dog, Movie.
OMTIMES: Laurie, what motivated you to create “The Heart of a Dog” as soliloquy and recollection of intimate and tender memories, while at the same time so rooted in the deepest questions of human existence. Were you trying to retell your own life story?
Laurie Anderson: This is a film about stories and how we tell them. Some are stories about myself but they are sort of the raw material to talk about what happens when we repeat them too often or when we forget them. The film begins with the words “This is my dream body” and the narrator talks about a dream of giving birth to a dog. However, the story is actually about the guilt I felt in engineering this project. Because of course the dream was invented by me the dreamer, the writer. So of course it’s about identity and the act of creation more than the story itself.
