Bill Viola: Five Angels for the Millennium

"Five Angels for the Millennium" by Bill Viola
video installation in Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, september 2005

• Category

  Film & Animation

[Steffen Seth Prohn]

yes, that's right!

the installation consisted of a completely darkened room with 5 BIG videoscreens, each in another color, showing another perspective of the action. it's kinda noisy and the videos are so extemly slow-mo that it just stresses your sense for the surroundings to a strange level.

i lastet in this room for about 20 minutes and it was just awesome!

[nelv16]

it doesn t have to make sense...its not matths.its art!

[nelv16]

bill viola is a great artist!Just GREAT

[tazaroo91]

none of his videos make sense...):

[Steffen Seth Prohn]

the "lights" you see are actually some movements of air in water after some girl jumps in.

according to coldfuses post i'd say the girl is the angel. and 'cause there're 5 screens showing 5 different perspectives of this dive in 5 different colors each screen symbolizes one of the 5 angels

[coldfuse]

I also saw this, with a really fond art teacher of mine. Was such an experience, the sound especially was just so emotional.Basically the video is about Bill, as a young child had a drowning experience, and if i remember rightly, felt he was saved by some sort of angel. I guess this is his homeagre to that experience and it is soo good. Im not a big fan of video instillations because sometimes i find them far too vague for any sort of interpretation for the audience, but i got alot out of this.

[moolox]

You can also see the installation at AROS museum in Arhus, Denmark. There's a basement with 9 rooms where besides Bill Viola such artists as Pipilotti Rist, Tony Oursler and James Turrell present their work. And, yes,Bill Violas work is extreme slow motion,it takes you out of your daily routines and that's what art is all about.

[gouglouf]

Yes!! it was a great installation! I saw it in Paris au Centre Pompidou! It was so scary and beautiful! It made me crying! but it's difficult to take it on video and the sound was very hard and grave...i like so much!

[leedslad1820]

This was an amazing installation that I saw at the Tate Modern in London. If you ever get a chance to see it, grab it - this video doesn't really do it justice - not sure if one could

[te4s80txmt]

!!