[ Marker ] [ Odenbach ] [ Oursler ] [ Viola ]
[ London, Introduction ] [ Delany, "High Involvement" ]
Copyright
1995 The Museum of Modern Art, New York
"As the screen rotates, its angle in relation to each projector alternately narrows and widens, warping the projected beams and spilling images onto the surrounding walls. The mirrored side of the screen sends distorted reflections--indistinct, gossamer forms--cascading over every surface in the room. In addition, viewers see images of themselves as well as the room around them reflected in the mirror as the screen revolves.
"Slowly Turning Narrative is concerned with the enclosing nature of
the self-image and potentially infinite (and therefore unattainable) states
of being, all revolving around the still center of the self. The room, and everyone
in it, becomes in effect a continually shifting projection screen, encompassing
images and reflections, all locked into the regular cadences of the chanting
voice and the constant rotation of the screen. The entire space becomes an interior
for the revelations of a constantly turning mind absorbed with itself. The confluences
and conflicts of image, content, emotion, and intent perpetually change as the
screen slowly turns."--Bill Viola
Bill Viola is a formalist who has developed a distinctive visual vocabulary to investigate the most primal human emotions. Major exhibitions of Viola's work have been held throughout Europe and North America, including a 1987 retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art. His work was recently chosen as part of the U.S. representation at the 1995 Venice Biennale. Photo: Kira Perov, courtesy of the artist.
1995 The Museum of Modern Art, New York