2 channel video

These companion pieces are part of a response to the deaths of my brother and two close friends as well as to family illness. I continue to develop these themes today. Here I work with a representative object. I wanted to make a connection with ancient beliefs in the elements and the potential for both the destructive and transformative powers of fire and water. I wanted the viewer to stay with the process and be drawn in to the destructive, hypnotic and consuming effect of the fire and the water almost as a meditation. Recently I saw a video work The Crossing (1996) by Bill Viola, the celebrated American video artist whose work I admire. He also used the same elements to explore the theme of mortality.