Bill Viola's 1996 art video "Crossing" is an telling example of his signature visual dialog.
His subject - HUMANS
His interest - exploring the Human Condition.
Dealing with a subject that is as old as time for the humankind - the Self, his works give uniting visualizations to emotion and conditions that we all go through in life. In his art films, the subjects are burned, immersed in water, fall victim to changing winds and perish with the dust of times. Viola draws on the history of visual iconography from the time of Renaissance, reviving the sacred within the contemporary secular age.
Love it or hate it, it still elicits emotion, and the visuals are stunning.
The Egg Hatch, is a part of a 5-part series 'I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like', 1986. Here, in pursuit of the universal, Viola poses philosophical questions about objective and subjective continuousness, asking the viewer to pause for a moment (or, 3 min in this case) and focus on what the experience of life may be like for another living form.
Back with more soon!
- bsp