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Bill Viola's multimedia work, Going Forth
By Day was my inspiration for this piece. When I first entered
the installation I felt fully immersed in a world that combined spirituality
with images that told a story of the cycle of life and death. The
transformation of the space was so complete it was like taking a step
through time and space. The video images projected were compelling
and while each was very different, telling a different story, at the
same time they were all part of the same story. The sounds accompanying
each video projection were real and helped solidify the environment
and as one moved through the room, these sounds brought you into the
world of the images.
In my piece, I created my own representation of the theme of Viola*s
work,
the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. In his piece he projected
images onto walls and I wanted to capture the same idea in an online
medium. Instead of looking at different walls and going into different
rooms, you have each of the walls as separate representations on
the same canvas. I also wanted to tell a story in my piece and it
starts out with a glowing orb, which symbolizes energy. It then
splits, showing the two energies that are one: the positive and
negative polarities; the alpha and the omega; the masculine and
the feminine. The orbs rotate around the sphere showing that life
is a cycle or perfect circle. Inspired also by Druid and Wiccan
theology.
In the first wall there is animation of a fetus in a womb-like
structure. The colors are designed to create a feeling of water
and birth. The color red that blinks within this wall represents
the surge of the life force entering the body, showing the difference
between the lifeless body and the force that enters it and gives
it life.
In the second wall we see the image of an illuminated soul emerging
as the body dies. The colors represent the flow of energy and the
darkness represents death. The sound of the heartbeat is used to
emphasize the idea of life after death. Even after the body dies
the soul continues.
In the third and final wall, rebirth is evoked. The hands represent
the soul being reborn and in the innate force within everyone, becoming
part of the body again. The eye represents a new awareness, the
realignment of the spirit and the body. The faint mouth image in
the background exposing teeth represents a kind of primitive past
that is part of every new beginning. The orange color represents
a new plane of existence. The blue contrast with the orange shows
a new realm. The sound of the ocean waves signals tranquility, a
power, a return to the beginning.
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