Techno-Ecologies of Bill Viola and Gilbert Simondon

Reviews / Votes

Techno-Ecologies of Bill Viola and Gilbert Simondon by Elena del Rio is a beautifully crafted and timely exploration of the dynamic interplay between art, technology, and ecology. By weaving together Bill Viola's immersive video installations and Gilbert Simondon's philosophy of individuation, del Rio illuminates how techno-ecologies redefine our understanding of existence, ecological interconnectedness, and collective transformation. A must-read for anyone seeking to grasp the creative potential of these intersections. -- Gregg Lambert, Syracuse University Powerful and precise, del Rio's new book asks us to rethink nothing less than the techno-aesthetic processes through which we come into being. Here the wondrous experimentations of artist-technician Bill Viola stand as an antidote to the violence of instrumental reason and the extractive drive of our image economy. A most timely intervention. -- Domietta Torlasco, Northwestern University Reading Viola and Simondon together, del Rio formulates two bold and marvelous propositions: video (and by extension, cinema) belongs to nature, and the camera is a philosophical system. Her book lives up to the challenge of these propositions, offering luminous readings of Viola video works while upending received understandings of nature and culture, technology and ecology. -- Thomas Lamarre, The University of Chicago Bill Viola's video works give a sense of being in the presence of an ever-expanding infinite-as in his works where imperceptibly slow movement, rather than grasping the visible world, renders the field of vision even more infinite. While Viola's great body of work is often interpreted as religious or mystical, Elena del Rio argues convincingly that the infinite presence palpable in his work is an infinity immanent to this world: an ever-changing individuation in rhythm with the humans, machines, and other entities that compose it. -- Laura U. Marks, Simon Fraser University