Bill Viola
Bill Viola is an American video and sound installation
artist who is recognised as one of today’s leading artists. He is the main
voice in the establishment of video as a virtual form of contemporary art.
Bills work includes videotapes, architectural video installations and total
environments that include video and sound. The video work has expanded over the
years through technology, content and historical terms. Also, the video work
has been widely broadcasted and explores another “dimension”. Bill Viola
concentrates on audio and sons through his work as he was influenced by a
composer David Tudor whilst he was studying at New York. As a student he was involved
with video and electronic media and since 1970, Violas video art has been seen
all over the world.
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| Fire Woman 2005 |
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| Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall)2005 |
Fire Woman and Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain
Under a Waterfall) are placed in a continuous loop on a floor-to-ceiling high
screen. Both works present history and how religious people share in their
chosen place of worship. I believe that “Fire Woman” relates to the spirituality
and culture of fire-walking rituals among Hindu communities as Bill Viola took
inspiration from eastern countries. I also think that Bill Viola combined both
of these pieces of work to reflect the different religions but how they connect
by going to places of worship.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkMmKPItqoU- The video presents the piece "The Fire Woman" that was displayed at the Grand Palais.
The Trial is described by Bill as “five stages of awakening
through a series of violent transformations. The piece is a young man and women
who are bare-chested on separate screens who are each doused with unexpected
different coloured liquids (black, red white and clean water). These colours
represent the life cycle from birth to death and the transformation from
darkness to light.
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| The Trial 2015 |
Another theme that recurs through Bill Violas video and
sound work is a water theme. The theme relates to childhood as he fell into
water when he was 6 years old and almost died by drowning. However, from this
experience Bill describes it as an “overwhelming theme of calm and wonder” and
this is reflected through his work as some videos include figures that are
drenched in water. Throughout his work, layers of emotion and meaning are
presented through video work and sound which takes the audience into a
dimension. Bill believes that “There is another dimension, you can feel that;
everyone can feel that” and “we all have an enormous world that has no limits
and this is like digital work”. Overall, his work presents a theme of
timelessness and a sense of culture from human life and traditions.
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| The Dreamers 2013 |
The
Dreamers is an environment piece that contains a series of seven plasma screens
which includes individuals of different ages who are underwater. The
individuals are lying still with their eyes shut, with a sound of the water filling
the room. A calming appearance is given to the visitor as the individuals
appear to be at peace.
http://www.blainsouthern.com/films/12-Bill Viola discusses the inspiration behind "The Dreamers" 2013
Bill Viola believes that young people are in an “interesting
place right now” and they are “talking about something inside themselves that
they understand because of the digital age and the use of their IPad and IPod”.
Over the years, Bill has expanded the use of technology and his team are always
updating digitally as modern technology is increasing faster. In Bill Violas
early work, he worked with one medium and produced videos and sound through portable
video cameras that focused him as the subject. Today he hires commissioned actors
and uses digital flat-panel plasma screens that produces bright 35mmm film at
210 frames per second. Bill edits colour and adjusts videos
Recently, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the
Underground Gallery was transformed into a dark maze to present the work of
Bill Viola. The audience experienced the controlled environment of image and
sound that related to the pieces such as water droplets. The exhibition was
based on the themes of life, death, love and spirituality.
"Inverted Birth” is a video that presents 5 different stages
of a series of violent transformations. The piece starts with a man standing in
darkness who is coated in black fluid and the fluid begins to flow in reverse
and rises above. Then the colour of the fluid changes into different colours
and becomes clear. The piece presents the elements of human life and the
process from birth to death.
"Three Women” is a piece about a mother and two daughters
who slowly enter an invisible boundary and return to back where they started.
Bill Viola combines images to create a grainy video from an old camera and a HD
video to bring a clearer appearance as the “Three Woman” walk through. The
video represents death being brought to life.
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| Inverted Birth, 2014 |
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| Three Women 2008 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-0UuvRui40 - The video presents the piece "Three Women" at a gallery.
In my opinion, I find Bill Violas work unique because it
allows me and other visitors to individually interpret the pieces and how we
feel when watching the videos. I believe that Bill Violas work connects with
the audience personally as the subjects relate to human life and beliefs that
we have across the world. I like how Bill Violas work connects to different
audiences across the world through using videos and sounds to allow all
visitors to relate to the subject and interpret own ideas. For the media, I find
his videos engaging as he uses both old and modern technology to relate to the
theme that he is creating. For example in “Three Women” he uses an old video
camera to give a grainy, ghostly effect which gives an eerie impression to me
of death. I think that Bill Violas use of time based-media is interesting
because he creates a variety of pieces based around videotapes, architectural
video installations and total environments that include video and sound. My
favourite media that Bill Viola uses is “total environments” that fills whole galleries
with video and sound. This is my favourite media element because it connects to
the audience better and allows them to experience the work more personally. In
the work “The Dreamers” the occasional sound of water is presented through the
gallery to emphasise Bill Violas experiences and being at peace whilst being
underwater. Bill Viola's art has been criticised as “cornball, pretentious,
obvious, and too religious” but I disagree with this as his work is open to the
visitors and it can only be interpreted individually. Overall I believe that
Bill Violas work presents a theme of timelessness through his choice of media
and a sense of personality from human life and traditions.
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