Monk, Meredith

Monk, Meredith

▪ American performance artist
in full  Meredith Jane Monk 
born Nov. 20, 1942, Lima, Peru

      American performance artist, a pioneer in the avant-garde, whose work skillfully integrated diverse performance disciplines and media.

      Monk studied piano and eurhythmics from an early age. She earned a B.A. in 1964 from Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York. From the beginning of her career, Monk was interested in singing, filmmaking, choreography, and acting. All these elements are incorporated into her vast body of work, which she termed “composite theater.” Monk made her debut as a performance artist in 1964, and in 1968 she organized the House, a group devoted to interdisciplinary approaches to the arts. Monk's experimental nature could be seen in her approach to “singing.” Her vocal music rarely contained recognizable text, as she strove for a sound both primordial and futuristic. To this end she used extended vocal techniques—from conventionally sung notes over a four-octave range to a wide variety of nonstandard performance sounds reminiscent of whining, hiccuping, laughing, and animal-like noises.

      Monk received an Obie Award for her work in 1972. In 1973 she performed Education of the Girlchild, a work without dialogue that explored movement and stasis; she revived it in 1979 and again in 1991. She was awarded a second Obie in 1976 for the theatre piece Quarry. In 1978 Monk founded the vocal ensemble bearing her name and with which she toured worldwide. In addition to live performances, she and her ensemble made numerous recordings, including Our Lady of Late (1974), Dolmen Music (1981), and Turtle Dreams (1983). Monk's feature-length film Book of Days (1989) played at the New York Film Festival, and a shorter version aired on television. Her multimedia opera Atlas premiered in 1991. Her singular style, prolific work, and long-standing success defined her as at once a pioneer and an institution in the relatively new world of performance art. In 1985 she was honoured with a third Obie Award, for sustained achievement, and in 1995 she received a MacArthur Foundation fellowship.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Monk, Meredith (Jane) — born Nov. 20, 1942, Lima, Peru Peruvian born U.S. composer and performance artist. She was raised in Connecticut and New York and attended Sarah Lawrence College. She soon formed her first group, The House (1968), to explore extended vocal… …   Universalium

  • Monk, Meredith (Jane) — (n. 20 nov. 1942, Lima, Perú). Compositora y artista performática estadounidense de origen peruano. Criada en Connecticut y Nueva York, estudió en el Sarah Lawrence College. Pronto formó su primer grupo, The House (1968), con el fin de explorar… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Meredith Monk — Birth name Meredith Jane Monk Born November 20, 1942 (1942 11 20) (age 69) Origin Lima, Peru Years active 1968 Meredith Jane Monk (born November 2 …   Wikipedia

  • Meredith — Meredith, George * * * (as used in expressions) Meredith, George Meredith, James (Howard) Monk, Meredith (Jane) Stanley, Wendell Meredith …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • monk — /mungk/, n. 1. (in Christianity) a man who has withdrawn from the world for religious reasons, esp. as a member of an order of cenobites living according to a particular rule and under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 2. (in any… …   Universalium

  • Meredith — /mer i dith/, n. 1. George, 1828 1909, English novelist and poet. 2. Owen, pen name of Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton. 3. Also, Meredyth. a male or female given name. * * * (as used in expressions) Meredith George Meredith James Howard Monk Meredith …   Universalium

  • Monk — /mungk/, n. 1. Thelonious /theuh loh nee euhs/ (Sphere), 1917 1982, U.S. jazz pianist and composer. 2. George. See Monck, George. * * * (as used in expressions) White Monk Monk Meredith Jane Monk Thelonious Sphere * * * ▪ …   Universalium

  • Meredith Monk — (* 20. November 1942 in Lima, Peru) ist eine US amerikanische Sängerin, Komponistin, Choreografin und Performance Künstlerin. Meredith Monk schloss 1964 ihr Studium am Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York, ab. 1968 gründete sie unter dem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Meredith Monk — Meredith Jane Monk (20 de noviembre de 1942, New York[1] ) es una compositora, artista de performance, directora, vocalista, cineasta y coreógrafa estadounidense. En 1964 se graduó del Sarah Lawrence College y en 1968 formó su primera agrupación …   Wikipedia Español

  • Meredith Scott Lynn — Born 1970 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Occupation Actress, director, producer Years active …   Wikipedia

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