b.1951 Raised in Queen's New York, Bill Viola became known for his video installations. In recognition of his skills in 2007, he received the French Order of Arts and Letters as a commandeur, the highest of those awards. As a young man, Bill Viola played in a rock band and attended Syracuse University where his mentor became Jack Nelson. Bill Viola turned to Eastern religions and became fascinated by electronic music, circuitry and analogue-wave theory. He has traveled the world to make video art and resides in a modest, rented home in Long Beach, California. Bill Viola aims to use the traditions of painting by means of modern video and computer technology. These colorful images may be projected in several parts, like enlarged altar paintings and may reappear fast or slow, bigger or smaller. " Bill Viola is concerned with fundamental themes such as birth and death, human relations or the role of the individual in today's information society."