Martyrs

Stunning video installation by Bill Viola in St Paul’s Cathedral.

The work consists of four screens each of which shows a person undergoing torture by one of the elements, earth, wind, fire and water. Although this sounds grizzly and was a little difficult to watch it was also mesmeric. Three of the films seemed to run forwards, although I was not too sure about water. The fourth, earth, ran backwards starting with a man covered by earth with the earth rising upwards and leaving him standing at the end. This gave an almost Resurrection quality while the water one had a feeling of Ascension as the man who was hung by his ankles rose out of the frame of the video at the end.

I had to watch the piece twice as it was so moving. Also it runs quite slowly and smoothly so you don’t quite realise what’s happening in each frame and have to go back and look again to work it out.

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