Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House: Writings 1973-1994

by Bill Viola, Robert Violette (Editor)

Chosen to represent the United States at the 46th Venice Biennale, Bill Viola, a New York artist living on the West Coast, is recognized internationally for his work in video and sound installations. This book brings together a selection of essays, notebook entries, drawings, and descriptions of projects that map Viola's personal course through the readings, observations, experiments, and associations that form the groundwork for his art. Each work illustrated is accompanied by a description by the artist, as well as comments on the work's origins from the artist's notebooks. For the last 25 years, Viola has used innovative multimedia technologies to explore the phenomena of sense perception as a language of the body and avenue to self-knowledge, integrating many disciplines and philosophies to reveal contemporary art's relevance to the modern world. His views have deep roots in mysticism, poetry, philosophy, Eastern art, shamanism, Chinese Taoism, Sufism, and Zen Buddhism. Viola's chief concerns today are to draw attention to the upset ecological balance of nature by focusing on the connection between our inner and outer lives, on the conception of the self as part of the whole.

Published in association with the Anthony d'Offay Gallery, London.

Genres: Art, Film, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 12, 1994

Reviews

[Evan Pincus · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fucked up that this Bill Viola book is edited by Bob Violette. Porcupine & The Car is essential reading, but everything else in this collection is very good too.

[Yelizaveta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Breathtaking discussion about history and philosophy of video as well as art. A must read for every artist.

[Cousin Columbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is listed with the wrong author - It is Bill Viola not Robert Violette. This book is a wonderful look into the ponderings of a truly fantastic contemporary artist.