Bill Viola presented his lecture as the 2009-2010 Una’s Lecturer at the Townsend Center for the Humanities, UC Berkeley. Over the past 35 years, Bill Viola’s pioneering work has been instrumental in the establishment of video as a form of contemporary art. Rooted in modern life yet often evoking age-old religious philosophies and visual iconography, his work addresses universal human experiences such as birth, death, and the unfolding of consciousness. Viola’s videos, architectural video installations, sound environments, electronic music performances, and flat panel video pieces are often presented as total environments, enveloping viewers in image and sound.
