Kamera Kinetics: 3 short films by William Raban

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Kamera Kinetics: 3 short films by William Raban 14th February - 17th March 2009, 2pm — 7pm daily Pavement is open to the public, external access only. Kamera Kinetics comprises of the short films Sundial (1992), Civil Disobedience (1994) and Confessions (1997) by William Raban. These three films relate back to Raban's engagement with Expanded Cinema and his direct ‘landscape' pieces, yet also incorporate the documentary aspect of later works. They all suggest the transient aspect of the environment and expose the layers of meaning attached to objects within the screen. Raban often concentrates on the actual process of assembling and then presenting film through the manipulation of the time and mechanics of the projector. Kamera Kinetics reflects this aspect by utilising the short throw distance of the projection. This form of display removes the social implication of the arena created by the distance between the projector and the screen, instead revealing the machinations of the illusory virtual image. There is a political strain running through all three pieces. In Sundial bankrupt Canary Wharf is effectively demoted to a less exact Big Ben, while Civil Disobedience includes a score composed by David Cunningham that features elements of Margaret Thatcher's speech regarding the contentious sinking of the Belgrano in the Falklands War as a type of mantra enhanced by the looping of the film. These three pieces feature time-lapse, rhythmic editing and a punctuated visual structure and were specifically programmed by the artist for Pavement gallery to create further layers of meaning through their composition and theme. Pavement Pavement is an exhibition space housed in a former drapery store, the window space cannot be entered by the public and provides a highly visible stage for the display of international contemporary art. A distant glance engages the viewer and the work invites their scrutiny. Pavement will allow for the exploration of potential differences in the relationship of contemporary art to an unconventional institutional setting. The work on display will seek to utilise and exploit its position of visibility in order for its significance to be explored and to generate a wider response. William Raban William Raban's work has been shown extensively worldwide, including Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate Modern; Museum of Modern Art, Vienna; Documenta 6, 8th Paris Biennale, Museum of Contemporary Art, Strasbourg, Apeejay Gallery, New Delhi and at a large number of international film festivals including Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Oberhausen Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival. Selected works are available on William Raban (DVD) BFI 2003 For further information contact Steven Gartside on 0161-247 6224 or s.gartside@mmu.ac.uk ________________________________________ Pavement Manchester Metropolitan University Righton Building Cavendish Street Manchester M15 6BG www.mmu.ac.uk/pavement | pavement@mmu.ac.uk