FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:




Cardiff and Miller

February 14th - March 20th, 2004
Opening Reception: Friday, February 13th, 6 - 8pm

Luhring Augustine is pleased to present an exhibition of new work by the collaborative team Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller. Cardiff and Miller will present four new pieces for their second exhibition at the gallery.

Cardiff and Miller's innovative multimedia practice has redefined our experience of film and video. In this exhibition, the artists use auditory and visual elements in an attempt to transcend the physical and transport the audience into various imagined spaces.

The central work of the exhibition, The Berlin Files, consists of a video projection and a surround sound environment. The non-linear film, a montage of suggestive scenes combined with a suspenseful soundtrack implies conspiracy, danger and betrayal, while remaining essentially abstract. Unlike previous pieces, there are no headphones, the three-dimensional audio is achieved by the 12 loudspeakers mounted in a circular room.

In the next piece, Cabin Fever, Cardiff and Miller reference traditional museum displays by using the formal structure of the diorama to transport the viewer into a scene depicting a cabin set deep in the woods. The captivating soundtrack, draws the viewers into the narrative, where they become accessories to a possible crime.

In the second gallery a large guitar amplifier, activated when the viewer presses a foot pedal, becomes a virtual guitarist. In homage to Jimi Hendrix, and in response to current events, the amplifier plays a rendition of the 'Star Spangled Banner'.

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller currently live and work in Berlin. Their work has been presented at some of the most important venues for contemporary art, including San Francisco MOMA, the Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, The Hamburger Banhoff, Berlin, P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York, and the Tate Modern, London. Representing Canada at the 2001 Venice Biennale, Cardiff and Miller received the Biennale's Premio Prize. In an upcoming event, the Public Art Fund will present a new audio walk in Central Park this June.

For more information please contact Claudia Altman-Siegel or look on our website, www.luhringaugustine.com.