Bill Viola has been exploring video art since its beginnings in the 1970's, and is increasingly recognised as one of the most important visual artists working today. His work includes single-channel pieces as well as large scale sound and image installations. "Bill Viola : The Eye of the Heart", initially broadcasted in 1996, is the first portrait to have been made of this crucial artist. The film features Viola at work, extracts from some of his major works, and in-depth interviews with Viola himself. In the film Viola talks passionately about his life and the events and artistic influences that have driven his work: from his childhood memory of near-drowning, to the artistic exploration and political activism of his youth, and on to the death of his mother. The film explores as well the connection between Viola's work and the mystical traditions of East and West.