Shot from the 21st floor of the iconic Balfron Tower, the film takes in the city of London below. Filmed mostly in time-lapse with the camera tracking across this aerial field of view, the intention is to create a cinematic map that exposes the neural networks of the post-modern metropolis;...
William Raban's Sundial (1992), shot in the same location as his film Island Race, combines strongly formal procedures with an equally emphatic political message, which is conveyed through careful juxtaposition of objects in the field of view.
"For this short film event, the film is removed from the film feed reel, and is unwound, to span the space between the projector and screen. The projector starts, and the film snakes back through the audience, as it is consumed by the projector. The screen image is a film footage counter which...
Following the eruption of the Lakakigar volcano, Iceland in 1783, a sulphurous haze shrouded vaste swathes of the northern hemisphere, causing widespread crop failures, consequent famine and disease across Europe, parts of America, North Africa, and India. It is estimated to have killed millions of...
“The film is in three parts, each one exploring the fragmentary experience of perception by resorting to various forms of temporal and spatial dislocation. ‘Concrete Fall’ and ‘Fergus Walking’ are both filmed from a moving viewpoint, and the camera motion is ‘converted’ through simple...
Three screen piece. "I was looking for a pure image, an image which was intrinsic to the medium of film. This film is not an abstract film; the subject is the projector gate, the plane where the film frame is arrested in the projected light beam, and the frame whose edges contain and divide the...
This film documents the transformation of a derelict fire station into studio and living spaces for artists. The opening of the restored building is celebrated in performances and installations by its new occupants. In common with Raban’s films that reflect upon different aspects of the changing...
Raban layers recordings of successive film performances in which he stands before a projection, states the date and time, and says "A camera is filming the audience watching yesterday's audience watching the blank screen. Sounds of the projection and the audience's responses are being recorded."
"ISLAND RACE contrasts everyday events with actions of right wing extremists, counter anti-racist demonstrations, the funeral of a gangland leader, and the jingoistic street parties celebrating Victory in Europe Day. Using only picture and sound, with no added commentary, Raban gives viewers the...
72-82 tells the story of the first ten years of Acme Studios and their ground breaking work providing artists' housing and studios in London. It also features some of the pioneering exhibitions at the Acme Gallery that was based in Covent Garden from 1976-81. The film comprises visual archive...
The paradox of the present as a time that cannot be reflected upon until it has already become past, seems consistent with the idea of thinking about the passage of time as the movement within a wave, where the individual particles of water remain static despite an illusion of movement upon the...
