William Raban

William Raban

William Raban started making films whist he was a student studying Painting at Saint Martin’s School of Art in 1970. Since that time he has made over 40 films, many of which have London as their subject. The feature length THAMES FILM, made in 1986, is an essay on the changing face of London’s River over three centuries. With the later and more politically-charged Isle of Dogs trilogy SUNDIAL (1992) A13 (1994) and ISLAND RACE (1996) the images work without commentary, using only richly worked soundtracks of intensified natural sound. William lives and works in East London. He is currently Reader in Film at the University of the Arts London.

Exhibitions

William is currently living and working in Balfron Tower as Bow Arts Trust's International Artist in Residence.  His time will be spent working on a film shot from a window on the 21st floor of Balfron Tower taking in the view of Canary Wharf and the whole of the city of London below. It is filmed in time-lapse with the camera constantly tracking across this aerial field of view. An extreme telephoto lens reveals the details of people living and working in the city, through different times of day and night. By filming from autumn into mid-winter, a wide range of daylight and atmospheric effects will be captured. The intention is to create a cinematic map of London that exposes the neural networks of our post-modern metropolis.