Both Bill Viola and Joan Jonas present different ideas and influences to further contemplate. In Viola’s work, what interested me was how he translated Biblical ideas into a very contemporary medium and composition. Moreover, he references that he works with the medium of light rather than ‘video’ or ‘film,’ and there is an evident focus on the physicality of the human body. In Joan Jonas’s work on the other hand, the nature of her performances themselves are very unique to me. Her incorporation of several different elements such as drawing, music, theatre, and projection into her work, as well as the several transformations that her installations undergo makes for a very intriguing body of work.
Fig 1 – Bill Viola’s Martyrs
The work that Viola discusses in the TateShots video is Martyrs wherein he was tasked with creating a work for St Paul’s Cathedral to replace paintings of Mary and some martyrs. In discussing this work, he states that it primarily addresses the question of “what would you give your life for?” which I believe is quite a challenging topic to address, especially in the context of religion. The work shows four characters as martyrs being consumed by the four cardinal elements of fire, air, earth and water. This is quite striking to the viewer not only because of its jarring nature, but also (as mentioned in the TateShots video) there is a rhythm that develops across the four images, and when viewed in conjunction with the evident focus on the physicality of the figures and the expressions on their faces, produces quite a Biblical sense of harmony and serenity despite the gruesomeness of the imagery. I believe this is what is referred to in the video as “evoking a wider sense of spirituality.” This work is also linked to Tiny Deaths, wherein bodies are similarly shown disappearing. The connection between the two works is the disintegration of the figures as symbolising a dilemma as to where we are as a society, and where we are going. While this was a little broad for me to comprehend, my interpretation of its meaning is that Viola uses bodies as a conduit to convey tensions about the world at large, which is quite an interesting idea, as I think it is well-reflected in real life as well, wherein bodies often show signs of tension very evidently. I think this idea is also reflected in The Quintet of the Astonished that we saw in class.
Fig 2 – Bill Viola’s The Quintet of the Astonished
In Joan Jonas’s work the nature of her performances is quite intriguing. She herself attests to her performances drawing from many sources such as literature, myth, dance, and theatre, and her work consistently involves dealing with the space that her performances are contained within, which adds a sense of dimensionality to her work. I think this multitude of influences is possibly what results in the multilayered nature of Jonas’s work, whereas the emphasis on space results from her formal beginnings in sculpture. Apart from this, she also mentions that her work is always very intuitive, despite being entirely planned from start to finish. This is quite intriguing to me as I don’t quite understand how it is possible for one to work intuitively yet still plan a work, however I assume what Jonas is referring to is that there is a naturalistic element to the choices she makes in composing a performance. Nevertheless, this is an interesting facet of her work, as I think it is in quite significant contrast to the sometimes unusual nature of performances. Lastly, her work is aimed at evoking sensations in her audience, and encouraging them to see things in different ways, which I think she undoubtedly accomplishes through these above techniques that make for a complex and intriguing installation.
Fig 3 – Joan Jonas’s Reanimated: 2010
Additionally, Jonas’s work also incorporates several different elements such as drawing performance, music, masks, theatre, projection etc. Her musical partner Jason Moran testifies that there is “a lot going on in her mind to make these pieces” which is quite apparent in the works as every element from the drawing to the music and the costuming she employs seem to build off of each other to create a cohesive and intriguing piece. Jonas mentions that her process itself involves working back and forth between performance and video, which all comes together to form part of the installation. I find this process to be quite intriguing as it not only shows the evolution of ideas and meaning in her work, but also how intrinsically every element is connected. In line with this, Jonas’s work undergoes several transformations which lead to the creation of multiple facets for the audience to interpret. She is constantly thinking of different ways to bring drawing or image into her installations, and by incorporating elements such as drawing with sticks to extend her body onto her drawing surfaces, and working with techniques such as drawing and erasure, as well as the spontaneous creation of sounds, Jonas demonstrates the state of flux that her performances are in. There is never a still or empty moment, as every second is loaded with meaning, and the development of the act in different ways. Although what makes this even more intriguing to me is that Jonas states that she is “aware of what could be read into things, [and hence doesn’t] like to talk too much about the symbolism, [because] it puts too much meaning into it.” Instead she likes it “to be what it is in a very concrete way.” To me this was fascinating as for an artist that is concerned with developing layers of performative action and incorporating a myriad of influences and media and processes into her work, this seems to be quite an antithetical stance to take towards developing the symbolism in her installations / performances. Regardless, I do appreciate it as this lack of discussion on the symbolism of her works not only makes the messaging very evident to the audience, which is necessary to some extent in such complex pieces, but also allows for the audience to insert their own understanding into them.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed analysing and interpreting the works of both Viola and Jonas. In Viola’s work what I particularly appreciate is his focus on the human figure which to me is quite a complicated and challenging task, whereas Jonas’s work provides the quintessential example of how to balance a number of media and techniques in producing an effective overall composition.
Provided References:
Bill Viola
Joan Jonas
Joan Jonas on Working
Work from:
9th Dec 2020 – Daily Vitamins Assignment
Time with Professor Mike Rader
