What Art Does

Why do we need art? What Art Does is an invitation to explore this vital question. It is a chance to understand how art is made by all of us. How it creates communities, opens our worlds, and can transform us. Curious and playful, richly illustrated, full of ideas and life, it is an inspiring call to imagine a different future.

Autorentext

Musician, producer, visual artist and activist first came to international prominence in the early seventies as a founding member of British band, Roxy Music, followed by a series of solo albums and collaborations. His work as producer includes albums with Talking Heads, Devo, U2, Laurie Anderson, James, Jane Siberry and Coldplay, while his long list of collaborations include recordings with David Bowie, Jon Hassell, Harold Budd, David Byrne, Grace Jones, his brother, Roger, on 'Mixing Colours' and recently with Fred Again. Brian's latest album, 'FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE' was released in October 2022.

Eno's visual experiments with light and video continue to parallel his musical career, with exhibitions and installations all over the globe. He has exhibited extensively, as far afield as St. Petersburg's Marble Palace, Ritan Park in Beijing, Arcos de Lapa in Rio de Janeiro and the sails of the Sydney Opera House. He is a founding member of the Long Now Foundation, a trustee of Client Earth and patron of Videre est Credere. In April 2021, he launched EarthPercent, which raises money from the music industry for some of the most impactful environmental charities working on the climate emergency. In 2023, Brian was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement by the Venice Biennale Musica. In January 2024, 'Eno', a generative documentary about the artist's life was screened at Sundance film festival to critical acclaim.

Bette A. is an artist, born in Amsterdam. As a child she liked to write plays and her primary school teachers allowed her to practise them in the gymnasium. She joined a youth theatre group in her hometown where she wrote and performed more plays and stories. Bette continued to study Image and Language at the Gerrit Rietveld Art Academy of Amsterdam, where she learned to follow wild ideas. After doing a Master in Creative Writing at Oxford University she started writing in both English and Dutch, and published her novels 'Rus Like Everyone Else' and 'What's Mine'.

Aside from writing novels, Bette makes short stories and drawings, and teaches art in art schools. In 2019 Bette co-founded TRQSE - a network of artists and scientists who work together on social projects.

Through this network Bette met Brian. They started collaborating on social projects and talked about art. These conversations led to working together on 'What Art Does', assembling the ideas Brian has developed during his working life and turning them into a book.

Klappentext

"Any aspiring artist--but especially any aspiring musician--will be grateful."--Amanda Petrusich, the New Yorker "Really delightful."--Ezra Klein

Why do we need art?*** What Art Does is an invitation to explore this vital question. It is a chance to understand how art is made by all of us. How it creates communities, opens our worlds, and can transform us. Curious and playful, richly illustrated, full of ideas and life, it is an inspiring call to imagine a different future.