Video Art Blog

Bill Viola: Ascension | Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (thewadsworth.org)

"Ascension" Humanities Revelation.

I thoroughly enjoyed thinking further about this beautiful and engaging art piece called "Ascension" by Bill Viola. This gorgeous two-minute video starts with a dark black view with blue hints in the center. This image intends to represent an underwater camera perspective. As the viewers sit, watching in this darkness, we hear an almost static sound. It sounds like we were genuinely underwater, and the water maintained nearly no movement. Suddenly, there's a splash, both visually and audibly. A man practically frozen in motion sinks into the water with us. The man falls with a pencil-straight body; however, his arms are at a 180-degree angle. His straight-out arms create almost a wing effect of bubbles. His body makes a figure similar to a cross, which also constructs a cross figure of bubbles. As he descends into the water further, his arms very slowly move upward above his head. When he stops sinking and remains still, from his knee up is still in view. At this point, the bubbles surrounding him are similar to a mushroom cloud. Enlightened by the glowing, blue-tinted center, we can see each bubble that floats to the surface. When the sound appears to cut out, he slowly flows back to the surface. His body moving slowly is paired with the slow upward movement of his trail of bubbles. The closer he gets to the surface, the more the bubbles lessen. The clip stops just as his head reaches the surface.

Such a simple and elegant clip produces so many possibilities. Even though there are no words, the meaning is so loud. This video tells the story of depression and liberation. The man sinks into nothingness until he rises again. His lifeless body shows his tiredness, and the bubbles represent his significance to the world and how he affects his surroundings. The bubbles even show the chronicle order of the effect of his possible loss. Immediately, there are many bubbles for everyone around him to be affected. Then, they surround him closely, showing friends and family who will continue to mourn him even for an extended time. His arms slowly levitating upward, showing his fight. Although it may be small and unnoticed by others, he is fighting. After sinking so deep, he ascends to the water's surface showing his savior and liberation.

This clip is truly art. Although not full of action and spoken words like a television show, there is much meaning when critically thought about. Comparable to a painting, many intricate details allow the viewer to understand the whole message. The video and paintings have much more than meets the eye. When observing a painting, you must take time to see all that is provided to you by the artist, and this video is no different. The video's lighting is similar to paintings, as great technique is required to show such dimensional images. The contrasting glowing blue and almost deafening black is straightforward yet sophisticated.

The changing placement of the man, but still perspective, contradicts television shows and movies. Typically, the camera perspective will track the character, but in "Ascension," the man begins to leave the camera perspective as he sinks into the darkness. This technique was beautiful with the message it portrayed. It showed that if the man had not been liberated, he would have been gone and left the audience behind. This theory is so different from the typical programs you watch on your television that it requires another type of viewing. In addition to perspective, there is no sound or clear storyline for a clip like this. In order to understand an appreciate media like "Ascension," you must closely pay attention, watch multiple times, and think critically about what is shown.