20/5/2014

Electronic Arts Intermix : The Passing, Bill Viola

The Passing
Bill Viola
1991, 54:13 min, b&w, sound
The Passing hauntingly trave ls the te rrains of the conscious, the subconscious,
and the de se rt landscape s of the Southwe st, m e lding sle e p, dre am s and the
dram a of wak ing life into a stunning m aste rpie ce . Viola, place d at the ce nte r
of this pe rsonal e x ploration of alte re d tim e and space , re pre se nts his
m ortality in such form s as a gliste ning ne wborn baby, his de ce ase d m othe r,
and the artist him se lf, floating, subm e rge d unde r wate r. Stark ly ye t poignantly
re nde re d in black and white , The Passing re -e nforce s the notion of a
pe rm e able conduit be twe e n re ality and surre ality. An irre pre ssible soundtrack
of Viola's labore d bre athing in sle e ping and wak e fulne ss se rve s to pull the
vie we r through an othe rworldly topography. Am y Taubin of the Village Voice

Description
Ordering & Fees
Exhibition & Distribution Conditions

hails The Passing as "awe som e ly be autiful" and de e m s Bill Viola "a world-class
vide o artist." She write s, "Som e of the im age s... burst out of the dark ne ss,
shim m e r and fade as radiant and e phe m e ral as shooting stars."
Production Managers: Donna Matorin, Kira Perov. Production Assistants: Donna

Titles by Bill Viola

Angel's Gate

Matorin, Robert Campbell. Engineering: Thomas Piglin. Funding: National Endowment

for the Arts and ZDF Das Kleine Fernsehspiel.

Anthem
Chott el-Djerid (A Portrait in Light and Heat)

Exhibition & Distribution Conditions

Dserts
Four Songs
Hatsu Yume (First Dream)
I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like
Information
Memories of Ancestral Pow er (The Moro
Movement in the Solomon Islands)
Memory Surfaces and Mental Prayers

SC R EENING R EQ UIR EMENTS for m use um or galle ry pre se ntation: The vide o
should be pre se nte d as cine m a. The scre e ning should tak e place in an
isolate d dark room with se ating for the audie nce (ie . not be an ope n "walk
through" galle ry.) If available , a norm al m use um the ate r is be st. As with
film , it should be shown according to a printe d sche dule and not on an
autom atically re pe ating loop. Q uality pre se ntations le ss fre que ntly to large r

Migration

groups are pre fe rable to continuous scre e nings throughout the day. A large

Palm Trees on the Moon

scre e n m onitor m ay be use d (26, 30, or 35 inch) for groups up to about 60

Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House

Red Tape -- Collected Works

(varie s with floor plan and se ating arrange m e nt). For ve ry large groups or in
a large space , a vide o proje ctor with a flat scre e n (high gain) m ay be use d.

Reverse Television -- Portraits of View ers

(Compilation Tape)

Audio m ust be m onitore d through a se parate ste re o sound syste m (am plifie r

Sodium Vapor (including Constellation and

Oracle)

use d. Ple ase contact EAI distribution (info@e ai.org) if you have any

The Passing

and 2 spe ak e rs). The built-in spe ak e rs in the vide o m onitor m ust not be
que stions.

The Reflecting Pool - Collected Work 1977-80

Titles w ith or about Bill Viola

Bill Viola: Territorio Do Invisiel (Site of the
Unseen)

Electr onic Ar ts Inter mix

http://www.eai.org/title.htm?id=837

535 West 22nd Str eet, 5th Flr New Yor k, NY 10011 (212) 337 0680

1997 - 2014, Electr onic Ar ts Inter mix

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