Please click here to access The Balkan Matrix website. The Balkan Matrix is an artists’ residency project exclusive to Cornerhouse. Installed for the duration of Imaginary Balkans, this new, continually evolving work examines both the West’s perception of and its relation to the Balkan states, encouraging the visitor to participate in shaping the Balkan identity. The title of the piece is inspired by the film The Matrix(1999), in which the hero (Keanu Reeves) awakens into the ‘real reality’, a virtual world controlled by a mega-computer. The piece integrates the concepts of virtual and real space, using installation, text and web technology to establish parallel Balkan living spaces which exist on-line and in the gallery. The ordinary objects that fill the room reveal a traumatic history as the interaction develops – the sofa where Milosevic once sat, Causcescu’s distinctive hat, trophies that are really weapons used in recent conflicts. The original perception of the room’s homely domesticity is soon displaced by a sense of horror and threatening possibilities. Mihael Milunovic is a visual artist who has exhibited extensively both in Belgrade and internationally. He often works site specifically in collaboration with fellow artists and art related professionals. Stevan Vukovic is an art critic, curator and editor for several magazines in the former Yugoslavia. He has organised exhibitions, festivals and seminars, and is currently active with BAZA – Belgrade Art Initiatives. This residency and installation is supported in part by the Arts Council of England.