Ritchie Hunter reviews an absorbing film about rhythm and health and how a community copes with living next to the main arterial route for freight in and out of the Port of Liverpool.
- Cellular (biology): the cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and functioning of [all] organisms.
- Vessel (blood): a part of the circulatory system and function to transport blood throughout the body.
- Cellular Vessel (transport): a container ship specially designed for containers.
Wikipedia
It was significant that at the same time we were watching Cellular Vessel, in the dockers club ‘The Casa’, the port of Liverpool was at a standstill. This was the third day of the two week stoppage by portworkers because of a pitiful below inflation pay offer from Peel Holdings. The thundering traffic that goes up and down Church Road in Litherland had been reduced to a trickle.
Photo of usual traffic on Church Road
Cellular Vessel documents the shocking reality of daily life next to this road. There’s head battering noise, noxious smells and vibration. People have to take their kids to school with 40 foot long container lorries whizzing past only feet away, while pumping out tonnes of fumes and particulates. There are problems of high childhood asthma rates and reduced lung function, along with all the adverse effects pollution can cause to growing organs.
In the heart of all this though, the community have come up with surprising coping strategies; with counter-rhythms that alleviate the stress and help with breathing.
Illustration of a cell by Janet Brandon from the film
The component parts of Cellular Vessel were forged by Janet Brandon and Leo Singer. The animation was by Janet and the music was from Merlyn Sturt. The final product is a work of holistic creativity, drawing parallels between human body systems and transport networks, and then linking this to show how the ever expanding Freeport* is ruining the health of local people.
Difficult subjects are clarified and made understandable in a subtle and artistic way, with an underlying message that: Capitalism’s addiction to growth is destroying communities and the environment.
Photo from the screening with illustration by Nick Daly
The evening was also partly an exhibition of the artist Nick Daly who illustrated Leo Singer’s blog https://dysrhythmiauk.wordpress.com/, where you can see a preview of the film.
*Freeports will be able to avoid tax and customs and can relax Health & Safety and planning rules. They have a ‘“simpler framework for environmental assessment”… government-speak for the removal of public protections.’
Liverpool City Region Freeport Zone ‘…will take in a 45km diameter (the maximum distance allowed by Government), from the western point Wirral Waters to the eastern point of Port Salford.’
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This film was original and beautiful in its presentation.
From the micro – Janet Brandon’s animations of human cells – to macro footage of the arterial road traffic and giant cranes of the seaport. The film explained how this industry distorts human circadian rhythms as well as poisoning lungs.
An introduction by Steve Higginson, co-author of “Edgy Cities”, highlighted the natural rhythms of the tides, which once created sea traffic on a human scale: and which are now over-ruled by 24-hour systems and disorientating night shifts.
The music, composed by Merlyn Sturt, fitted the emotions aroused by the film, from its peaceful informative beginning about natural systems, to disturbing churning sounds to suit our upset and anger at the injustice going on.