TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary

Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller are Canadian artists based in Grindrod, British Columbia, who have collaborated since the 1980s. Having first met in college, their individual practices gradually evolved into a deeply intertwined artistic partnership—one in which ideas are sparked and developed through a continual dialogue between the two.

At the core of their work is a profound belief in the power of sound to transport listeners into alternate realities. Their practice centers on immersive audio and video experiences that respond to specific environments—whether as outdoor walks or indoor installations—blurring the boundaries between cinema, theater, radio, literature, and sculpture. These works often guide participants through layered, narrative-rich scenarios, merging real-time surroundings with recorded elements in a way that heightens awareness and unsettles perception.

Through this interplay of sound, story, and setting, Cardiff and Miller create experiences that are at once intimate and theatrical, using fictional narrative and meticulously crafted audio to challenge conventional ways of sensing and interpreting the world around us. Their work is a continual exploration of how technology, memory, and the act of listening can reshape the experience of place and time.

Related works in the collection

Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller
Hill Climbing, 1999

Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller
Telephone / Time, 2004

Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller The Murder of Crows, 2008

Conversacion con Janet Cardiff

Janet Cardiff & George Bures Miller The Murder of Crows

Janet Cardiff: Walking thru'
April 20–June 26, 2004 | TBA21, Vienna

Modus Operandi
November 25, 2004–April 30, 2005 | TBA21, Vienna

Passages. Travels in Hyperspace
October 6, 2010-February 21, 2011 | LABoral, Gijón / Spain

Thyssen Bornemisza Art Contemporary – The Collection Book
Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, 2009

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary. Collection as Aleph | March 6–October 26, 2008 | Kunsthaus Graz

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary: The Commissions Book
Sternberg Press, 2020