The 50th Brighton Festival, England's largest annual curated multi-arts festival, began this past weekend and runs through May 29, 2016, with Laurie Anderson as Guest Director. She takes the helm as Brighton Festival marks its milestone 50th year by exploring the theme of "home and place" across its 2016 program.

Anderson's own events include the UK premiere of her Music for Dogs, a concert specially designed for dogs' ears, at the Brighton Open Air Theatre this evening; a screening of her acclaimed new film Heart of a Dog, the soundtrack for which was released on Nonesuch Records, at Duke of York's Picturehouse, also tonight; an exclusive new performance monologue about place and places called Slideshow at Brighton Dome Corn Exchange on May 18; and Song Conversation, a freewheeling walk through sonic spaces with fellow musician-composers, pianist Nik Bärtsch and guitarist Eivind Aarset, at Brighton Dome Concert Hall on May 17. The festival will also bring the UK premiere of Lou Reed Drones, an installation of her late husband's guitars and amps in feedback mode which she describes as "kind of as close to Lou's music as we can get these days."

"I'm so happy to be serving as Guest Director of Brighton Festival in its historic 50th year," says Anderson. "I've been part of the Festival several times and it is so big and sprawling and exciting and there's so many different things going on—it really has a kind of celebratory, crazy, art party feel to it. And I love the theme of home and place. It is especially relevant with so many people in the world on the move now looking, like all of us, for a place we can belong. Maybe because I'm a working musician and often on the road, the idea of home is pretty appealing to me. It's also a great idea for a festival—trying to find out who and where you are."

This week also marks the start of the UK and Irish cinematic run of Heart of a Dog. For the occasion, Anderson takes part in two screenings in London this Wednesday, May 11: one hosted by Lauren Laverne, another open to dogs (and their owners). All three feature Q&As with Anderson. Fans around the world can hear what she has to say about the film, as she will be a guest on Laverne's BBC Radio 6 Music show Wednesday morning at 10 AM. Heart of a Dog continues to open in cinemas in the UK and Ireland through the spring and summer. For tickets, visit dogwoof.com.

Heart of a Dog receives its Danish premiere at the Grand Theatre in Copenhagen on Thursday, for which Anderson will be in attendance and speak with Henrik Palle about the film. She remains in Denmark this weekend to perform her Language of the Future at the Click Festival in Helsingør on Saturday. For more, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.

To pick up a copy of the Heart of a Dog soundtrack, released on Nonesuch Records last year, visit iTunes or the Nonesuch Store.