From the subjective point of view of the Thames itself and using a multi-faceted texture of documentary footage such as archive material and a dense carpet of sound as its base, THAMES FILM (GB 1986) conveys the history of East London and the Thames from an economic and cultural-historical perspective. In SUNDIAL (GB 1992), A13 (GB 1994), ISLAND RACE (GB 1996) and TIME AND THE WAVE (GB 2013) (8.3.), London's East End becomes a reflection of socio-economic conditions and gentrification under the Conservatives. The fragmentary, external views of One Canada Square in the business district of Canary Wharf in SUNDIAL and the massive high-rises that loom over the A13 capture the monumental symbols of the late capitalist era and the intrinsic air of power. Pictures of alienation. Without commentary, ISLAND RACE contrasts daily life with right-wing extremism, anti-racist counter-demonstrations and paints a portrait of English national consciousness in the late 1990s. Filmed in 2012 and 2013, TIME AND THE WAVE concentrates on key events in London to expose the state of Britain during the late capitalist crisis. (8.3.) In MM (GB 2002), a meditation about time, the Millennium Dome becomes the architectural symbol of the new millennium. ABOUT NOW MMX (GB 2011) creates a cinematographic map, which aims to revise urban space and our relationship to it, when the camera - often speeded up - hovers above the City below. THE HOUSELESS SHADOW (GB 2011) is an ethnographic examination of the plight of the homeless that compares London nightlife today with its description 150 years ago. The important creative vibes that emanated from the East End in the 1970s are recalled impressively in Raban's 72–82 (GB 2014), a documentary featuring rare archive material and interviews about the Acme arts collective. Himself a member who witnessed performances and exhibitions in the Acme Gallery, Raban reconstructs the first 10 years of a very creative scene in which he played an important part.(9.3.) (ara) With the kind support of the British Council.
William Raban: Space, Time, Structure
Since the 1970s, William Raban, one of the most famous filmmakers and artists of experimental cinema, has created an eclectic oeuvre that can be placed in the space of Expanded Cinema, structural film and experimental documentary. In 1976, his installation works were displayed by the International Forum of New Cinema; in 1979 he was once again represented in that section as a member of the London Filmmakers' Coop, with experimental works about the structural exploration of spatial patterns of perception.
His films unfurl a realm of experience that always challenges the viewer's perception and mental skills. By orbiting around recurring themes and motifs – life in London's East End and looming architectural changes in the urban landscape – Raban, whether with a a narration that is strictly structural, poetic or purely documentary-like, becomes a seismograph of political changes in the face of neo-capitalism. William Raban will be our guest on two evenings and will present works from the past three decades.
