Going Forth By Day (Viola)

Bill Viola's massive five-channel video installation, *Going Forth By Day*, was commissioned by the Deutsche Guggenheim in Berlin and completed in 2002. Today, it is permanently housed in the collection of the Guggenheim Museum. Its immersive setup allows viewers to be surrounded by moving images projected on massive walls.

The title of the installation is taken directly from the ancient Egyptian funerary text commonly known as the *Book of the Dead*. "Going forth by day" refers to the soul's journey into the afterlife and its ability to roam freely in the sunlight. Viola uses this inspiration to explore themes of human existence, death, and spiritual rebirth.

The artwork is a massive, five-channel digital video installation. This means the piece utilizes five separate projections displayed across large-scale walls in a specially designed room. The synchronized videos interact with one another, creating a fully immersive, cinematic environment for the viewer.

The installation explores universal life cycles, heavily featuring elemental imagery like water, fire, and light. One of the five sequences depicts a modern city street flooded by a sudden deluge of water. These slow-motion visuals focus on birth, death, and the passage of the soul.