A thematic monograph into the world and creative vision of Bill Viola whose imagination focuses on questions of perception in the world, human existence in the dimensions of space and time, life and death, the connections between people, nature, culture, civilization and on ideas of being in philosophy and religion. Through contributions by authors from many different disciplines the book offers an interpretive framework which draws on the aesthetic consideration of each individual work , and thus sheds new light on the complexity of Viola"s entire oeuvre. In his introduction Rolf Leuter presents an overview of the installations and videos and draws out the "elective affinities" between the many different pieces.