Marionette puppet shows and art come together in latest Chelsea gallery show

The Luhring Augustine Gallery in Chelsea is currently presenting an intriguing display of work by multimedia artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller in a two-part exhibition. Cardiff and Miller have been working together for more than 20 years and are known for using their imagination to create immersive and engaging material that draws the viewer into a world of fantasy and wonder. In the first gallery, The Marionette Maker (2014) is presented inside a camping trailer in the gallery, which serves as a puppet-show theater; the installation can be seen through the trailer’s windows.

The various scenes depict a wide variety of characters in dark, dreamlike environments. One of these images is that of an actual marionette maker sitting at his desk, hard at work drafting designs for his pieces. The materials can be seen on his desk, and a wooden rocking horse operated by string can be seen in front of his bed in the next room as a woman, possibly his wife, appears to be walking in her sleep. Other images include that of a female singer and a piano man on stage in a production set in the woods at night, and an image of a young woman sound asleep in her bedroom with numerous types of puppets hanging from her window including those of animals, and a guitar player playing rock music.

The Marionette Maker (2014) by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller

Viewers are invited to walk around the trailer, and there are a few chairs set up outside of it so they can watch the characters perform an opera as they’re surrounded by sounds of forests and rainstorms that alternate with soothing music coming from the electronically operated controlled marionettes.

The second part of the exhibition, Experiment in the F# Minor (2013), consists of several of speakers set out on a table. As the viewer approaches, his or her shadow triggers light sensors, causing individual speakers to deliver a variety of recordings done in F# minor. Whether viewers realize it or not, they are in control of how and when the sounds come out of each speaker—in effect, making their own music by their movements.

Miller and Cardiff are natives of Canada living and working in Grindrod, British Columbia, and are well-known internationally for their innovative multimedia installations. Their work has been featured at notablle museums and galleries in cities such as Toronto, Berlin, San Diego, Houston, Miami, and Barcelona. Their work has also been included in recent group exhibitions and biennales such as the 19th Biennale of Sydney in 2014 and dOCUMENTA (13) in 2012. Representing Canada at the 2001 Venice Biennale, the artists received the Biennale's Premio Prize and Benesse Prize.The Marionette Maker was first presented by Madrid’s Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía at the Palacio de Cristal in 2014.

At Luhring Augustine, 531 W. 24th St., through Jun. 11. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.