Raban's take on the 'poetic' qualities often ascribed to the medium is interesting.
At the same time as engaging with the conventional definition of the
term - an evaluation of the formal qualities of image and sound based on
aesthetics - he also approaches structure with a literal use of poetic
codes. Rhythm, rhyme, meter, punctuation, resonance are all represented
visually and, particularly in these 'documentary' pieces, give an
impressionistic feel, a form of visual polemics minus the heavy didactic
symbolism. A.L. Rees describes this as 'blending the structural film with
the documentary' and this is perhaps at its purest in the 'Under the
Tower' trilogy.
The first part 'Sundial' (1992) is a minute long, offering 71 rapid
scenes, each showing the Canary Wharf tower at its centre. The camera
records the tower from all angles at different times of the day with
different foreground material each time. The rapid cutting and certainty
of framing create a number of responses. The tower is represented as a
three dimensional object that seems to lift from the screen, revealing
further Raban's explorations in 'cubist' representations of objects and
space. At the same time, the semiotic codes attached to the tower as
'symbol' (it has been described as 'Thatcher's Dick'!) are simply
connoted.
The second part, A13 (1994) uses mediated images – through windscreens,
mirrors and CCTV cameras – mixed with 'in camera' effects and rhythmic,
percussive editing and soundtrack. The area around Canary Wharf and the
Limehouse road link are revealed over a day (a 'nod' to the influence of
Man with a Movie Camera and Raban's admiration for Vertov). Like Sundial,
there is no overt explanation, Raban's rationale being "to see how far it
was possible to construct meaning by sound and image alone".
In Island Race (1996) the focus shifts towards people. Margaret
Dickinson has noted, "The world explored is one of public space and public
events". Raban turns the camera eye on local politics and the racial
tensions in the Isle of Dogs that were becoming more palpable during the
course of the filming. Footage of local elections (the BNP had just won a
bye-election), scenes from a recent anti fascist march, the London
Marathon, shots of Ronnie Kray's funeral, are intercut with images of
racist graffiti and celebrations of 'Empire' in the form of VE day street
party celebrations. The film presents a palette of images without
explanation or other usual documentary conventions imposed on them. Raban
follows events as they happen rather than forcing a structure through
editing. The viewer is left to ask questions and construct meanings
relating to nationalism, community and identity from the ambiguity.
