At first I set up the background and lighting. I used the shower as I thought it would give the right effect of water falling. I hung the torch from the shower head with some string which created a Viola-esque lighting. To create the background I simply stuck bin liners to the back wall of the shower. The light also reflected off this. Violas pieces are on a much larger scale and he uses 1000x more water. To create something similar to 'Ascension Tristan' I hung a doll underneath the torch.
Bill Viola mainly used actors in his works. This was on a much smaller scale and the closest thing to a human that is accessible is a doll. The light works with the water to illuminate the doll so it almost looks human.
At first I cut out the shape of a matchstick on cardboard and painted it white. By using tissue paper and wire I formed the shape of the flame. To film the video a match was lighted and filmed so it was horizontal rather that vertical, this explains why the flame is flickering to the left. However, this experiment had some flaws, like the camera not being steady. The matchstick cut-out and flame are permanent, whereas, the video of the match burning is completely temporary. It would be a good idea to see how it looks without the flame. It would have been better for the cut-out to be painted black so the projection comes out better. To improve I could have used a tripod to hold the camera so it was steadier.
In order to improve it slightly, I removed the flame made from wire and tissue paper. The flame projected onto the whiteboard in the back and it started to look more realistic as it gave of a luminous glow. You can also see the match burning a bit better.
After this I made a new installation. Instead of painting the match black I left it white. This is because the match turns black as it burns and this wouldn't have been visible on a black background. I also placed black card in the background as it would make the flame more visible. The whiteboard in the previous video gave a reflection which I preferred. It would be useful to play around with different materials to get the best possible installation.
Tony Oursler is an artist that specializes in installation and multimedia art. He combines sculptures and video and painting in his work. His earlier work contains visual and sound effects.
This installation looks at burning of cigarettes and directly at temperance. The temperance that the cigarette brings to life and how temporary it is itself.
The cigarettes are slowly being burned and turned to ash. They are projected onto rolled up card or plastic.
In this little video I made a compilation of matches that had been extinguished at different times.
Bill Viola is an American artist who specializes in using light and technology to create his installations. His work concentrates on birth, death and aspects of consciousness, In a way, they are related to Vanitas as they show the suddenness of death and rebirth. In 'the crossing' it shows a man walking towards you and then taken away by light and water. It almost as if its Violas depiction of how death should be like. This is also shown in 'Ascension Tristan' in which the body is slowly levitated up while water is pouring over it. Viola uses sound and image technology to create his installations.
He uses actors in his work pieces and this contributes to the mass of money that is spent to create these installations. They movie in elaborate ways, like they are circus acts. Also a lot of flesh is shown which links to renaissance art. It also links to religious art at that time where Jesus would be painted/sculpted with almost no clothes on. Water is a main feature in his work but this could be because of how light reflects in it.
Shows a person being lifted up while water pours down and conceals them. They are slowly being lifted up and disappear. The water slowly starts to disappear and the person disappears with it. As the person is being lifted it looks like they are being lifted from the chest while their legs and arms face downwards.
This video shows the commission from St Pauls cathedral, the most famous cathedral outside of Rome, in which Viola created an installation of earth, air, fire and water. The earth installation shows a man emerging from the earth, as if he is being born. The wind section shows a woman that is hung by ropes being hit by a gust of wind. The third show a man enveloped in flames and the fourth show a man hanging upside-down and water being poured all over him.
Ascension is, in terms of religion, the bodily ascending of Christ from earth to heaven. The video shows a man being emerged in water and then floating to the top, almost like he's floating to heaven. This could also be seen as baptism which mostly occurs at the beginning of life in Christianity.
Installation art is mostly a modern type of art that is practiced by postmodernist artists.
Emerging during the 1970s, installation is associated with conceptual art which provokes certain emotions to the audience. Some believe that it's not art at all whereas other believe that it is the only type of art that is relevant to this day and age.
Examples of modern conceptualists are the YBA's: Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin who create quite controversial and shocking pieces.
