The Reflecting Pool (1977–79) is central to Viola's quest for transcendental acuity: it unites the specificity of the video medium with a striking image of transition between otherworldly states. In this remarkable work, a man is suspended in mid-leap above a pool; around him the natural world lies still, but in the water's reflection consciousness roils. Ancient of Days (1979–81) highlights the passage between perceptual states. A pan of a city street travels from day to night while a majestic shot of Mt. Rainier displays a multitude of opposing time schemes, each beckoning a different sense of being. Hatsu Yume (First Dream) (1981) is a vivid, almost hallucinatory look at Japanese culture via a symbolic exploration of the medium's relationship to light and reflection. A bamboo forest streaming with lanterns, a stone on a mountainside shifting in scale, luminescent squid glistening on a ship's deck: this is a trancelike collage exuding metaphorical glimmers of consciousness. As Viola says, “Video treats light like water-it becomes fluid on the video tube. Water supports the fish like light supports man.”