Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller: Opera for a Small Room

Opera for a Small Room, a collaboration between Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, introduces visitors to the quirky world of a man named R. Dennehy, the owner of a collection of opera records that the artists purchased at a second-hand store in British Columbia, Canada. The installation, which Cardiff and Miller describe as “a small room for the opera of Dennehy’s life,” features a structure filled with records, lights, and other knickknacks. Visitors can peer into the ramshackle room through holes in the walls, but are not able to enter it. Music pouring out of 24 antique loud speakers permeates the gallery, echoed by the rhythm of pulsating lights. The music, record players, and lights become the “actors” in this theatrical and durational work that conveys a dramatic and individual narrative portrait.

Carnegie Museum of Art gratefully acknowledges Jill and Peter Kraus for the loan of Opera for a Small Room. Major support for this exhibition is provided by William I. and Patricia S. Snyder. Additional support is provided by the Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Foundation and by The Associates of Carnegie Museum of Art. General support for the museum's exhibition program is provided by The Heinz Endowments, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and Allegheny Regional Asset District.

Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller
Opera for a Small Room