The full program for the 50th Brighton Festival (May 7–29, 2016), England's largest annual curated multi-arts festival, has been unveiled, with Laurie Anderson as Guest Director. Anderson 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 that was a hit among the canine crowd in Times Square last month; a screening of her acclaimed new film Heart of a Dog, the soundtrack for which was released on Nonesuch Records; an exclusive new performance monologue about place and places called Slideshow; and Song Conversation, a freewheeling walk through sonic spaces with fellow musician-composers, pianist Nik Bärtsch and guitarist Eivind Aarset. 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."

Laurie Anderson says: "I'm so happy to be serving as Guest Director of Brighton Festival in its historic 50th year. 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. See you there!" See more of what she has to say in the video below:

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Brighton Festival says: "It's very special for us to be marking the 50th Brighton Festival with Laurie Anderson as Guest Director. Every year since 1967 some of the greatest artists, performers and thinkers have come together with some of the most open-minded and enthusiastic audiences anywhere for a festival whose home is one of the most artistically rich and geographically blessed places in the country. Laurie is well-known and well-loved by the city and has been has been experimenting, creating and challenging audiences all over the world for almost as long as Brighton Festival has existed. Alongside the startling international and newly commissioned work that we're bringing, she has been particularly enthusiastic about finding ways in which the festival can invite the participation of the whole community—time and again throughout the program we see opportunities to get involved to explore our own creativity and to celebrate, together, this wonderful festival in its 50th year."

For tickets and to see the complete program of events, visit brightonfestival.org.