The title of Bill Morrison’s cerebral short film Who by Water refers to a spoken passage from traditional Rosh Hashana services that reads, “Who shall live, who shall die, who by water, who by fire.” The subject of the work is earthly predestination: a predetermined, immutable future that will unfold before mankind. Humans will be watching, passively and helplessly, as it unfurls – as if they are passengers on a giant ship. —Nathan Southern
Bill Morrison (born in Chicago, November 17, 1965) is a New York-based filmmaker and artist, best known for his experimental collage film Decasia (2002). He is a member of Ridge Theater and the founder of Hypnotic Pictures. He attended Reed College 1983-85, and graduated from Cooper Union School of Art in 1989.
Bill Morrison’s films have been screened at festivals, museums and concert halls worldwide, including the Sundance Film Festival, the Orphan film Symposium, The Tate Modern, London, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles. Eight of his titles have been acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. He has been commissioned to create films for some of the most important composers of his time, including John Adams, Gavin Bryars, Dave Douglas, Bill Frisell, Michael Gordon, Henryk Gorecki, Vijay Iyer, David Lang, Harry Partch, Steve Reich and Julia Wolfe. Morrison is a Guggenheim fellow and has received the Alpert Award. He has received grants from the Foundation for Contemporary… read more