"Emergence", 2003

“Emergence” depicts two women sitting on opposites sides of a white box with a cross on the front. The camera is stationary and the image is cropped so that the scene is symmetrical and centered, with the box in the middle and a woman on the left and right side. Water slowly spills over the edge of the box and a nude, male figure slowly rises from the box. He rises as if being pulled straight upward. The figure is covered in white makeup and has long hair. As the figure emerges the women turn their attention to him and seem as though they are surprised. Water is pouring off of his pale body and as he rises the women approach him as if to help. After he has risen fully, he slowly goes limp as the women help his lifeless body to the floor. They set him down with a look of awe and concern. The whole event takes place very slowly and frame by frame.

Bill Viola takes the role of director and producer in this piece. He controls every aspect of the video down to the subtle color changes in the backdrop. " You have to be so alert and aware, like an antenna or an open wound." Bill Viola on the production of Emergence.This video has deep spiritual meaning. Bill Viola is very interested in renaissance ideas about spirituality and religion. One could interpret “Emergence” as the second coming of Christ because of the details in the event such as the cross on the box and the white and holy use of color that often relates to purity. He talks about letting the eye see and take in an image for what it is and leaving the eye open instead of letting judgments and interpretations get in the way. This idea ties to perceiving spiritual events and experiencing things from the other realm. Many of the themes in religious renaissance paintings influence much of Bill Violas work. He draws from their close connection between artwork and the spiritual experience. This can be seen in the way “Nantes Triptych” is displayed. The three-panel style was used in countless churches to display their depictions of biblical stories.

All of these themes in Bill Viola’s work are consistent throughout and the only variable is the way in which he presents them. He used to leave more responsibility to the viewer to perceive the emotions and human experience in the documented events he let play out. We now see a more controlled aspect to his work where instead of filming real events, he sets up a stage with props and actors so that he becomes the director and master of the events he captures.

bibliography: Bill Viola, The Eye of the Heart, DVD