Oh to be able to go to visit a museum again! The last museum I (Deb) visited was the Crocker Art Museum on February 27, 2020. I thought I’d reminisce about one of the exhibits on display there. I hitched a ride downtown and took myself on a little art date. There was nothing special I wanted to see, so I just let myself wander and enjoy the art. Then I got to a gallery with a video exhibition. Bill Viola. The Raft. Hmm. Never heard of it or the artist.
The Scene
You enter this particular museum gallery and walk around a wall to a dark room. The video is life-sized and in slow motion. A number of people are standing in a group—as if they are waiting for a subway train or for the light to turn at a pedestrian crossing. People move in and out of the scene interacting with each other, or not. Even though the stage is deep, the people jostle for position as if they were in a confined area. Some look at each other with suspicion, others with recognition. One woman grabs her handbag as a stranger gets too close.
The Water
Then jets of water shoot at the group from both the left and right side. Think firehose-sized jets of water. The force of the water causes people to fall onto the ground and into each other. Remember, all of this is in slow motion.
Here is an excerpt from the piece:
The Questions
The soaking-wet people are trying to maintain their balance and use their hands to ward off the water. After a long few minutes, the water stops. Some people are strewn on the ground. Some are clinging to each other. Still others are helping each other up. You start looking for people you remember being there before the water hit. Where is the pregnant woman? The woman in the sari? The man in the suit?
Why did this scene rivet me so much so that I could watch this over ten-minute long video again and again? I wondered how choreographed the movements were. Do other people see the same figure-eight pattern of motion that I did? How had the interactions changed? If you ever have the opportunity to see the video in person, do it! I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts.
The Extras
To see a hand-filmed version of the video, click here. Please note, the person did not film the whole screen, and the actual scene in the installation video does not move like this one. I think it makes a big difference. Click here to view a 28 minute interview with the artist. I hope this little virtual museum trip will tide you over until the museums open again. If not, click here for our most recent museum memory, our toast to Wayne Thibaud.