With
this work, originally produced for the Canadian Pavilion at the Venice
Biennale, Cardiff and Miller focus on the language and experience
of cinema. Viewers approach a simple plywood pavilion, mount a set
of stairs, and enter a lush, dimly lit interior complete with red
carpet and two rows of velvet-covered seats. Once seated, they peer
over the balcony onto a miniature replica of a grand old movie theatre
created with hyper-perspective. This is the first in a series of
illusions orchestrated by Cardiff and Miller. Viewers then put on
the headphones provided and the projection begins.
Extended Description
At least two stories run simultaneously. There is the “visual film” and
its accompanying soundtrack that unfolds before the viewers; layered
over this is the “aural action” of a supposed audience. The
film is a mix of genres: it is part noir, part thriller, part sci-fi,
and part experimental. What is more particular about the installation
is the personal binaural “surround sound” that every individual
in the audience experiences through the headphones. The sense of isolation
each might feel is broken by intrusions seemingly coming from inside
the theatre. A cellphone belonging to a member of the audience rings.
A close “female friend” whispers intimately in your ear: “Did
you check the stove before we left?” Fiction and reality become
intermingled as absorption in the film is suspended and other realities
flow in.