This fall the University of Washington was privileged to welcome to campus performance artist and contemporary music pioneer Laurie Anderson. In conjunction with her visit, the Henry’s Test Site presents a focused exhibition, Collected Stories: Books by Laurie Anderson, that traces the artist’s long-standing interest in storytelling, drawing, and technology. On view is a selection of books produced over the last forty years. The exhibition includes early work such as the comic book Baloney and Moccasins and Transportation Transportation (1970) as well as work from the 1980s and 90s. Also featured are very recent works including The Language of the Future (Jezyc Przyszlosci), Delusion, and Pillow Book, all produced in 2012. The exhibition includes rare books and publications that focus on and highlight diverse aspects of the artist’s career.

Laurie Anderson has creatively mined the book format and explored it in a variety of media ranging from handmade and traditionally bound works on paper to audio and electronic formats. Her books are at times interwoven with her performances. Words with the Words The in Front of Them, included in the Henry’s installation, comprises in graphic form the text from her performance Dirtday!. A riotous and soulful collection of songs and stories, Dirtday! is the third and last in a series of solo story works that also includes Happiness and The End of the Moon. The artist presented Dirtday! at the UW’s Meany Hall on October 20, 2012.

Collected Stories: Books by Laurie Anderson offers an exceptional opportunity to engage with this crucial, ongoing, and still under-recognized aspect of the artist’s unique contribution to contemporary art.

Laurie Anderson participated in other events both at University of Washington, and in the community, including: