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September 20, 2005
Perception and Necessity
I would like to go back to the end of Bill Viola's 1985 statement. There he quotes Rumi, "New organs of perception come into being as a result of necessity. Therefore, increase your necessity so that you may increase your perception." I think that this idea kind of travels through Viola's two statements. Both statements seem to have a theme of the need to have the viewer reflect on whatever it is they are viewing. In the 1989 statement, Viola talks about the materiality of time particular to cinematic and video arts. He notes that "time is to consciousness as light is to the eye" and goes on at length about embrace the "first stages of insight" the time of proto-creation. By reflecting on the total act of creation itself, and being open to the unknown frees up the mind to reflect on the possible and thereby expand ones own elements of perception. Doubly, the video installation itself becomes a mode of reflection. Understanding itself can only come from a video piece through understanding of the precious frames. Otherwise it is like viola's butterfly under glass metaphor, something only to be looked upon.
In his 1985 statement he continues with his theme of reflection, but carries it into the realm of the landscape. Here he writes about difference of scale, from a small kitchen to the vast Sahara desert which come together by causing the viewer to reflect on either a microscopic space or a vast space. He also explores the concept of temporal scale by videotaping a rock in slow motion. I think that rocks are fascinating objects; in particular extremely large ones that seem to have set in one place long before you came upon it and know will sit there long after you have passed it by. Viola's comparison of a rocks life cycle and flies also helped to reinforce his exploration of seismic scale on a temporal level and to continue his exploration of reflection on time as a primary material of video.
He concludes his article noting he is "disturbed by the over-emphasis of high tech gadgets." This comment is interesting coming from a video artist, but makes sense when you think about his concern with reflection and slowing down processes. It seems that high technology allows us to do many otherwise mundane tasks an a sort of auto pilot. The tradeoff then is a loss of intimacy with the nature of that act. For example, Teflon allows us to cook with out ever having to cure a pan and thereby involve ourselves with the creation of the implements of cooking. Ultimately, technology causes a loss of necessity, and with that loss of necessity the question is, do we lose some of our perception?
Posted by Aaron Harmon at September 20, 2005 10:43 AM