HW 7.2 Video Artist - Bill Viola

Bill Viola (b. 1951) is an American new media artist, living and working in New York, exhibiting since 1973. His work is primarily in video, though there have been explorations into other media including sound.

In 2003 I saw Viola's exhibition The Passions at the National Gallery in London. This video work was different from any video work I had seen before. The video was slowed down to an extreme rate, and highlighted heightened states of emotion. The works came to resemble high renaissance painting, and devotional religious paintings - in the exaggerated depiction of human emotion. These works were like moving paintings. Showing the lead up to the "surging wave of passion" depicted in classic painting. This can create a moment of connection with humanity and the human experience, a moment of real reflection, and affect - deep feeling before you can put it into words.

I love the idea and the feeling of slowing down video. A lot of time based media in popular culture is so quick - zippy, jump cuts, reality tv recaps, advertisements, vines, gifs, and just fast and accessible at every turn. A lot of time this can be appealing in different ways, but an antidote is welcome respite. I love work that asks something of the viewer - stay longer, really look, be still, be quiet, reflect while watching, spend some extra time, and try to be ok with silence.

Here's a quick interview with Viola about creating these works and his process and concept.