The City of Forking Paths (2014); Photo: the Biennale of Sydney
The Biennale of Sydney has unveiled its inaugural legacy work and, like many of this year’s offerings it needs a screen to view.
The City of Forking Paths, by Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, blurs the line between real and virtual by providing the experience of a second reality through interface. Using an app-equipped smart phone or mobile device, users are led around The Rocks on a very ‘In-Real-Life’ walk, while being immersed in the fictitious narrative playing out on their screens. With its setting synchronised to the real, concrete surroundings of the city, users undergo a jarring, disorientating experience.
