theObservatory

The below notes are from Ian Clothier, as sent to the ADA list on 10th August. The Bill Viola talk was given the previous night.

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Hi well me too, i love the reports issuing from ISEA 2006. Below are some notes, incomplete from Bill viola’s talk. Thanks to all the others who have submitted their thoughts and summaries. this report will be archived on trudy’s blog, eh trudy?

Bill Viola talk notes summary from ISEA 2006/Zero One San Jose

Ian Clothier

This was an interesting talk if somewhat in a rather odd space- the mayoral chambers of city hall in downtown San Jose. I say odd, because there was something about the venue - all high chairs, hierarchical structures and a steep audience seating arrangement, that was in tension with the relaxed sense of spirituality that infuses Viola and his work.

The following notes are simply a record of some of what occurred. It should not be taken as a documentary of the event as the notes are incomplete, and summaries of many words.

The talk:

Viola spoke of abandoning connection with the subject.

He talked about biological hardware.

And to know the process of knowing.

Know thyself.

He discussed his appreciation of the video camera as an electronic eye, whereas the film camera eye shows reality as we see it.

This was a crucial demarcation - the video eye was mediated whereas the film eye replicated.
{My note}.

He spoke of technology and revelation.

And said that narratives do not exist in the moment.

Narratives occur after the moment. {I think, the notes about the latter words are undecipherable here}.

Viola spoke of the lineage of technologies of sight. The camera obscura has been with us since 200BC I thought he said. There was then the development of linear perspective {we are very western here, though Viola is clearly also influenced by the east} followed by the microscope, the telescope, the camera, the film camera, the video camera and digital media.

He mentioned a deeper reality underneath.

And talked of invisibility - mentioning 5 kinds of invisibility for which this faulted reporter recorded three:

Narrative is invisible
Light is invisible
Time is invisible

These invisibilities are important to him, and I hope someone else in the audience has the other two?

We can’t see next Tuesday.

In the question time, he commented that slow motion gives us more time to think.

In summary terms he said he feels an image inside himself and expresses that.

His first show in a commercial gallery was at age 41. That was also a question time comment.

Ian M Clothier
Dept of Art and Media