Educational Media Reviews Online

In urban exploration a person goes “places they are not necessarily supposed to go” to examine the normally unseen parts of human civilization; in general they visit, construction sites and abandoned buildings. Infiltration, an off shoot of urban exploration, can mean dropping into conventions uninvited or even going to areas of buildings that are off limits to the general public (for example; maintenance rooms). Infiltration: Based on the Work of Paul Raff follows Toronto architect, Paul Raff while he infiltrates abandoned buildings and building sites. Raff’s aim is to experience space; to infiltrate it, have it infiltrate him, to pass into or through the space so that Raff himself can filter the emotions of the space and then express them in his architectural designs.

This film tries to capture Raff’s creative process, an interior event, visually on film. Small tight shots of the spaces that Raff is infiltrating are juxtaposed with footage of Raff’s actual finished designs. The effects of space, light and sound merge to allow Raff to experience a building in more than a visual sense. He aims to make his own work a full sensory experience and evoke an emotional response in those who view or inhabit his buildings. Infiltration: Based on the Work of Paul Raff directly reveals the influence Raff’s infiltrating activities have on his work, his inspiration and his experience of space.

This is a short edgy film which deals with the creative process. The hand held tight camera angles, the use of natural lighting give this film a moody, dreamlike quality.

A nice addition to any video art collection, this film transcends a mere biographic film and becomes piece of art in itself. It could easily be used as a jumping off point for a discussion on the influence and the effects the visual environment has on the creative process.