How Time is expressed in Bill Viola’s ‘Room for St John of the Cross Essay

This video and sound installation by line Viola, Room for St John of the fall guy, speaks of the concept of eon in a number of different ways. It consists of a black cubicle in the vege turn off marrow of a darkened space. A small window reveals the interior of the cellular telephoneular phone which is a softly lit space containing only a table with a pitcher, a water glass and a video monitor. project behind the cell is a moving image of mountains with storm clouds accompany by the sounds of a storm. A voice whispers in Spanish almost of St Johns poetry.St John, a poet and mystic was imprisoned for 9 months in 1577 in a cell so small he could not stand within it. During his imprisonment he wrote mystical poetry concern with pass alonging events and barriers in search of the Son of God, poetry that has been handed down to us in the modern day, so his poetry could be said to transcend time. The cell a three dimensional object, represents the fourth dimension, that of time, 9 months of his biography. This is the uttermost a child spends in the womb, curled and unable to stand, before birth. The mountains would mayhap represent eternity as they are so unchanging.The moving clouds scan that time is passing, but the storm may signify chaos of the earliest period of creation. The clouds could also represent an ability to rise above the events of individually day which included regular beatings. The water and the light within the cell could represent the eternal life giving power of God, which St John tack together separately day. God moved upon the face of the waters freshly each day, creating order out of the chaos in which he found his life to be. In The Dark Night which may be one of the poems imperturbable during this period he wroteall things ceased I went out from myself, leaving my cares. (as translated by Kieran Kavanaugh and Otilio Rodriguez,) Despite severe oppression, deprivations and physical difficulties, he was in ecstasy and time was forgotten.Works CitedElectronic Sources Kavanaugh K, an d Rodriguez, O. ( translators) Carmelite. com Our Saints, The Collected Works of St John of the Cross http//www. carmelite. com/saints/john/works/cn_6. q 6th February 2008 Room for St John of the Cross 1983 http//www. sfmoma. org/espace/genus Viola/BV05. html 6th February 2008