GARY HILL

Two video projectors and mounts, two 96 h. x 54 w. in. projection panels (painted MDF-board and wood) or generic projection screens, two speakers, two-channel synchronizer, two DVD players and two DVDs (color; stereo sound)

Edition of three and one artist’s proof

Together with the work entitled Loop Through, 2005, Is a Bell Ringing in the Empty Sky was originally produced for a retrospective tribute for the actress Isabelle Huppert.  The work was recorded in high-definition video using a vertical format (the cameras were rotated 90 degrees).  Two screens, each measuring approximately 96 h. x 54 w. inches, lean against the wall, one almost up against it and the other with a little more angle—suggesting something like a large dressing room in a photo or dance studio.  The two full-bodied images were recorded simultaneously and consist of Isabelle Huppert standing and looking at an invisible point positioned between the cameras.  One camera looks down from a position slightly above the head and the other looks up from about thigh high.  Huppert becomes a portrait in motion, fluctuating between “herself” and “acting,” where a rush of subtle changes of behavior and emotions are revealed:  discomfort, intensity, boredom, playfulness, annoyance, agitation, coyness, etc.