USA
Bill Viola
THE RAFT
Presented by the Australian Centre for the
Moving Image and Kaldor Public Art Projects
in association with Melbourne International
Arts Festival
Bill
Viola
Fire Woman
and Tristan’s
Ascension
Presented by Melbourne International Arts
Festival, Kaldor Public Art Projects and the
Australian Centre for the Moving Image
Pioneering American artist Bill Viola has been
instrumental in the establishment of video as a
vital form of contemporary art. For over 35 years
he has created videotapes, architectural video
installations, sound environments, electronic
music performances, flat panel video pieces
and works for television broadcast. His video
installations – total environments that envelop the
viewer in image and sound – employ state-of-theart technologies and are distinguished by their
precision and direct simplicity. His next major
commission is the creation of two permanent
altar pieces for St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
For the 2010 Melbourne Festival, in partnership
with Kaldor Public Art Projects, St Carthage’s
Catholic Church in Parkville is turned into
a video art shrine complete with the latest
technology, surround sound and enveloping
operatic narrative. Shown in a continuous
loop, the two works, Fire Woman and Tristan’s
Ascension, combine for a 20 minute visual and
aural experience that extends Viola’s lifelong
engagement with the human condition into
ancient themes of life, love and death.
These two immersive installations are derived
from Viola’s creation for Richard Wagner’s
Tristan and Isolde directed by Peter Sellars.
Now separated from the opera, the stunning
installations feature mythical and mystical
apparitions set to their own new soundtrack, and
can be experienced in all their glory in the sacred
surrounds of St Carthage’s.
46
“Viola’s videos are not
only mind blowing
in concept, they are
stunningly beautiful.”
Vogue Australia
Event Information
St Carthage’s Catholic Church
123 Royal Pde, Parkville
Fri 8 – Sat 23 Oct
Mon – Sat 7.30pm – 10pm (last entry 9.30pm)
Closed Sun
FREE
www.melbournefestival.com.au
With support from The Yulgilbar Foundation
Images: (left) Bill Viola Fire Woman, 2005
Video/sound installation, 11.12min
Performer: Robin Bonaccursi
Photo: Kira Perov
(right) Bill Viola Tristan’s Ascension
(The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall), 2005
Video/sound installation, 10.16min
Performer: John Hay
Photo: Kira Perov
Experience video artist Bill Viola’s interpretation
of The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
as part of the Festival’s celebration of this
renowned artist’s work. The Raft (2004) shows a
group of men and women of various races and
socio-economic backgrounds suddenly being
knocked to the ground by a huge, high-pressure
jet of water. Water flies everywhere, clothing and
bodies are pummelled, faces and limbs contort
in stress and agony against the cold, hard force.
Then, as suddenly as it arrived, the water stops,
leaving behind a band of suffering, bewildered,
and battered individuals.
The action in The Raft is recorded in high-speed
film and unfolds in extreme slow motion to reveal
subtle nuances of the light and colour in the
explosive impact of the water and the individual
expressions and gestures of the figures in the
face of an overwhelming onslaught. Described
by the artist as “an image of destruction and
survival”, this powerful and extremely moving
work is a symbol of hope in the difficult times we
find ourselves.
“Viola’s filmic eye
channels light like a
Caravaggio brushstroke.”
Artist Bill Viola
Onscreen Performers Sheryl Arenson, Robin
Bonaccorsi, Rocky Capella, Cathy Chang, Liisa
Cohen, Tad Coughenour, Tom Ficke, James
Ford, Michael Irby, Simon Karimian, John Kim,
Tanya Little, Mike Martinez, Petro Martirosian,
Jeff Mosley, Gladys Peters, Maria Victoria, Kaye
Wade, Kim Weild, Ellis Williams
Event Information
Australian Centre for the Moving Image,
ACMI Gallery 2
Thu 7 Oct 2010 – Sun 20 Feb 2011
10am – 6pm
FREE
www.melbournefestival.com.au
www.acmi.net.au
Image: Bill Viola The Raft, 2004
Video/sound installation, 10min
Photo: Kira Perov
Bill Viola In
Conversation
Presented by the Australian Centre for the
Moving Image and Kaldor Public Art Projects
in association with Melbourne International
Arts Fest