Catherine's Room (2001)
A meditative five-screen video artwork by Bill Viola, tracing one woman's daily rituals from dawn to night against the turning of the seasons.
Catherine's Room - Movie Information
- Original Title: Catherine's Room
- Release Year: 2001
- Directed by: Bill Viola
- Type: Movie
- Runtime: 19m
- Original Language: English
- Release Date (Theatrical): January 30, 2001 (United States)
Catherine's Room - Plot
This video work is one of a group of pieces known as 'The Passions' which explores human emotions, inspired by early European devotional paintings. The five screens show different times of the day – morning, afternoon, sunset, evening and night. Each scene shows the female protagonist at a different task, from yoga exercises in the morning through to lighting candles in the evening and finally going to bed. In each scene, the tree outside the window is shown at different stages of its annual cycle, putting the woman's routine in the larger context of the cycles of nature. The work is based on a predella by the fourteenth century artist Andrea di Bartolo.
Catherine's Room - Cast & Crew
Director(s)
- Bill Viola
Catherine's Room - FAQs
What is Catherine's Room about?
Catherine's Room is a video artwork by Bill Viola presenting five screens that follow a woman through a single day — from morning yoga to lighting candles at night. Each panel also reflects a different season, placing her intimate daily rituals within the broader, cyclical rhythms of the natural world.
What is 'The Passions' series by Bill Viola?
'The Passions' is a group of video works created by Bill Viola in the early 2000s, inspired by early European devotional paintings. The series examines fundamental human emotions — grief, joy, anger, and contemplation — using slow-motion video and carefully composed imagery drawn from the visual language of Renaissance and medieval art.
What painting inspired Catherine's Room?
Catherine's Room is directly inspired by a predella panel painted by the fourteenth-century Sienese artist Andrea di Bartolo. Viola adapted the multi-panel devotional format of the predella — traditionally a series of small narrative scenes at the base of an altarpiece — to structure his five-screen video composition.
Who directed Catherine's Room?
Catherine's Room was created and directed by Bill Viola, one of the most influential figures in video art. Viola is internationally recognized for his large-scale video installations and single-channel works that draw on spiritual traditions, philosophy, and the history of Western painting to explore the depths of human experience.
How long is Catherine's Room?
Catherine's Room has a runtime of 19 minutes. The work unfolds across five simultaneous screens, each depicting a distinct moment in the day — morning, afternoon, sunset, evening, and night — creating a meditative, multi-panel experience that mirrors the structure of a medieval devotional predella.
When was Catherine's Room released?
Catherine's Room was released on January 30, 2001, in the United States. It was produced as part of Bill Viola's celebrated 'The Passions' project, a body of video works developed between 1999 and 2002 that drew widespread critical attention from both the art world and broader cultural audiences.
What is the significance of the tree in Catherine's Room?
The tree visible through the window in each of the five panels changes across the seasons — from bare winter branches to full summer foliage. This cyclical progression places the woman's daily domestic routine within the larger, ongoing rhythms of nature, suggesting themes of time, renewal, and the continuity of human experience.
Is Catherine's Room experimental film or fine art?
Catherine's Room occupies a space between experimental film and fine art video installation. Primarily exhibited in galleries and museums as part of 'The Passions' series, it is widely regarded as a work of contemporary visual art. Its multi-screen format, contemplative pacing, and roots in art history place it firmly within the video art tradition.
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