The Paradise Institute

The Paradise Institute is the title of a work that was on display at the London Art Gallery (but which, unfortunately, has left) by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, that suspends you in a place between illusion and reality - shaking your perceptions and layering your perspectives. i went to see this piece twice (only because i went four days before it left) and i am still thinking about it, so i thought i'd write a little something about it here for you, so bear with me as i go into laura style detail about my experiences experiencing this clever work.

as you walk into the art gallery, this exhibit was in the lower gallery, you can look through a large set of windows onto the work. from here it looks like a big cardboard box - a plywood trailor, no windows - just sitting there in the middle of the room. as you make your way down the stairs, someone is there to introduce the work, and seat you in either the front or back rows. what rows? well, it turns out there are two pretty doors cut into the box, which contain, as you look inside, two rows of red velvet seats and a matching red carpet. this is the first of many surprises - slights of hand.

you walk into your aisle and ahead of you is a model of an old theatre house - balconies to the left and right, small rows of empty seats - all facing a screen. no glass seperates you from this model.

then, you put on a set of headphones, the person who seated you leaves and the lights fade to black.

into your ears vibrate an audience - people making jokes, a woman answering her cell phone, someone farting followed by laughter. i look over my shouder to the left and right, i swore i came in here alone. then a voice calls out, "shhhh, it's starting."

i'll jump from here to the film itself - a mix of genres; film noir, sci-fi, thriller, experimental film. the narrative is disjointed and the film itself seems very cliched - packed with the conventional tropes associated with each film genre included. but, what keep it from being boring is how it - complimented by the "soundtrack" and space itself - keeps you rocking (or swinging) between knowing what is real and what is an illusion.

for me, the piece puts you in limbo - a greyspace - a nowehere space - a neither nor space - between illusion and reality (or, fiction and reality i suppose). you're pulled towards thinking one thing and then, just as those thoughts are starting to take root, they're immideately challenged / pulled. back and forth like this. and, just as if you were to turn around in cirles for a while and then stop, after you leave the exhibit and the art gallery itself, you're head's still spinning.

let me tell you about one of these back-and-forth(ing) moments.

so, you're seated with the headphones on. expecting the sounds coming out of them to be the sounds connected with the movie. they aren't, but then, they are. okay, so you're in the audience and watching a film. ahh, that's more comfortable now. then, someone is shuffling down the aisle. hey, they're getting closer. they sit down beside you and then she whispers right in your ear, "here's your drink, you can share my popcorn" and starts chomping away. should i drop your hand down for a handful? will there be popcorn there?

there isn't. this woman stays with you for a little bit and then leaves because she's worried she's left the oven on - a house burns on the screen after she walks out. spooky. yes, especially when you're the only one there, and constantly second guessing whether you actually are or not.

o, and it gets more spooky when the villian...but i'll stop there. i hope i've aroused your interest as it is simply a phenomenol work. apparently janet does walking tours as well that i want to look into experiencing, so keep your eyes open.

if you ever hear of it in a museum near you - don't hesitate, check it out!