(HW)1-3 Media Artist(s)

Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller

  Janet and George are Canadian artists who have presented several types of sound installation using objects, audio, video and surrounding. In several pieces among their works, Walks invite audiences to experience the stroll with audio and most recently with video as well. The audience-participant of Walk can experience walk with the audio instructions what to see and where to go (sometimes the instruction turns into story-telling about the places where the participant-audience is watching).  

  In the Alter Bahnhof Video Walk (2012, Kassel Documenta (13), Germany), audience-participant checks out the iPod and headphone. And following the sound instruction the headphone, he or she explores the Alther Bahnhof station. As following the instruction, the place where the audience-participant is watching is matched to the places shown on the screen. These same places, one in the real moment and another one on the screen have different time and happenings. For example, as the Documenta happened during the summer, it is hot and sunny in reality yet on the screen, snow falls. There are some similarities between these two such as people pass by or the architecture of the places ; however with different details : some unexpected happenings such as dancers tumbling or dogs barking. This dual experience blurs the boundaries between the reality and the fiction. The daily moments and space become cinematic and each audience-participant can experience own fictional reality.