General & Miscellaneous Interviews, Art - General & Miscellaneous, Artists - Biography, Musicians - Interviews, Avant-garde - Aesthetics, Modern Art, General & Miscellaneous Music Biography
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Overview
Over the course of fifteen years, Nicholas Zurbrugg interviewed the avant-garde poets, filmmakers, dancers, writers, composers, and performance artists who were defying tradition, crossing genres, and forever changing how art would be created, performed, and interpreted. These conversations with thirty-one of the leading multimedia artists in the United States now form a comprehensive record, from the insiders' perspectives, of the most vital component of the postmodern American art world.Passionate about postmodernism and committed to innovative creativity, Zurbrugg asks these artists probing and insightful questions. How did their work evolve? Who most influenced them? How did they assess changes in contemporary art, and what did they think of each other's work? Which of their experiences had the most powerful effects on their creative development? What could lie ahead for American art? As these questions are answered by individual artists, the interviews also cumulatively address larger issues of artistic expression, including the idea of the avant-garde itself. The book features interviews with Kathy Acker, Charles Amirkhanian, Laurie Anderson, Robert Ashley, Beth B, David Blair, William S. Burroughs, Warren Burt, John Cage, Richard Foreman, Kenneth Gaburo, Diamanda Galás, John Giorno, Philip Glass, Brion Gysin, Dick Higgins, Jenny Holzer, Mike Kuchar, Robert Lax, Jackson Mac Low, Meredith Monk, Nam June Paik, Yvonne Rainer, Steve Reich, Rachel Rosenthal, Bill Viola, Larry Wendt, Emmett Williams, Robert Wilson, Nick Zedd, and Ellen Zweig. Introductory notes to each interview provide context and connect the work and experiences of various artists, and photographs of these artists contribute a significant visual element to the book. Nicholas Zurbrugg (1947-2001) was professor of English and cultural studies, as well as director of the Centre of Contemporary Arts, at De Montfort University in Leicester, England. He is the author of The Parameters of Postmodernism and Critical Vices: The Myths of Postmodern Theory.Synopsis
Zurbrugg (English and cultural studies, DeMontford U., England) had completed the manuscript before he died suddenly in 2001. Over the course of 15 years he interviewed avant-garde poets, filmmakers, dancers, writers, composers, and performance artists. Among those who speak here are Laurie Anderson, William S. Burroughs, John Cage, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Steven Reich, and Ellen Zweig. No index or bibliography is included. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Book Details
Published
June 1, 2004
Publisher
University of Minnesota Press
Pages
384
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780816638338