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

Rating:
Summary: a brillant contemporary artist
Review: Bill Viola is one of the most interesting artists working today. His work brilliantly blends technology and spirituality and this collection of his writings provides a glimpse into his thought process.

Rating:
Summary: a brillant contemporary artist
Review: Bill Viola is one of the most interesting artists working today. His work brilliantly blends technology and spirituality and this collection of his writings provides a glimpse into his thought process.

Rating:
Summary: A brilliant artist and thinker
Review: It is so refreshing to read what an artist's work is about from their own point of view, and not from a critic's. This book takes that a step further, by including sketches, a plethora of quotes, and facsimiles of Viola's legendary notebooks. Unlike most new media/video artists, Viola uses technology only to get beyond it, to provoke his audience to ponder the larger questions in life. He is an extraordinary thinker as well as a pioneering video artist. As an artist I find his writings -- and proof that he's an ordinary human being, with a messy notebook -- incredibly inspirational. The ideas in this book will keep you going for years.