The Art in Freerunning and Parkour - Essay Example

The Art in Freerunning or Parkour College The Art in Freerunning or Parkour In the mid 1980's David Belle founded a new sport in France: Parkour. The idea behind this sport (also thought of as an art form, particularly by Belle himself) is to continue on in one direction, using smooth motions and not letting any physical objects get in the way. David Smythe describes freerunning as "a new urban craze that involves jumping off things and landing on other things" (2005). It is also known as 'freerunning', and Belle found himself featured in the 2004 film Banlieue 13; a movie that included several chase scenes with Belle performing Parkour. Belle began Parkour when he was fifteen, and claims it was inspired by the ideas of the French physician George Hebert, who promoted the 'methode naturelle' (Grimsley 1961) of medical treatment. This focused on the pure benefits of exercise over other methods like drug treatment for simple illnesses and injuries. Belle took these principles and used them in his own fitness regime, which turned quickly into something of a post-modern art form in itself (Gire 2006). Post-modern art takes many ideas on board, but the main feature of this art form that is embodied in Parkour is the aspect of realism through another medium: "Reality itself founders in hyperrealism, the meticulous reduplication of the real, preferably through another, reproductive medium, such as photography" (Harrison et al 2003). Post-modern art deals with new and fresh takes on the reality all around us in the world. The question with Belle and Parkour is simple; is freerunning actually an art or merely a sport that has been copied by followers across the world Van Esterik, Van Esterik and Miller describe an artist as someone who "may be revered and wealthy as individuals or groups, or stigmatized and economically marginal." (Van Esterik et al 2001). Overall, artists must use unique concepts or create new ideas from reality or already established forms of art; in this Belle certainly did succeed and can therefore be thought of as an artist and Parkour as the ultimate in post-modern art. Miles notes how the "forms and spaces of the city are at the heart of academic enquiry across a number of disciplines from architecture and planning to geography, sociology, cultural and media studies" (2000). People like David Belle and his followers have been enthralled by the stark reality that is the inner city, and this is what Parkour is based upon fundamentally (Pinch 2004). A similar remark can be made about skateboarding and its use of the city space in such a comprehensive, post-modern way. Iain Borden explains how skateboarders have taken a new look at their surroundings and discovered how to interact with them and take a real interest in all the elements of the city they live in. Borden challenges his readers to adopt the same way of thinking and to take a more hands on approach to the spaces in which they live (Borden 2001). Nevertheless, it must be noted that Parkour is a dangerous art form, and many of its practitioners have sustained injury from its execution; Josephson mentions reknown Parkour practitioner Cris Burden in this vein, since he was the type of artist not only to use Parkour to express himself but other forms of self harm that were thought life threatening and uniquely shocking to American society (Josephson 1996). In fact, Parkour seems to attract the sort of artists looking for innovative and entirely shocking ways of drawing attention both to themselves and their ideas about societal ills. To overcome these dangers, a freerunner must posses "a good pair of sneakers, cat burglarlike agility and a lot of courage" (Washington Times 2004). So what do freerunners feel they are getting out of Parkour The opinions are varied and very interesting to researchers like Western Mail writers who comment on how the art form is "graceful and strict" (2005) at the same time. Piers Hernu remarks that the jumps involved are difficult and dangerous, something best left to professionals and yet appealing to the average citizen of the world. While the art form was born in France and continues to find its most passionate practitioners there, Parkour has spread all over the world and is being seen more often in television and music videos in British and North American homes. Low notes how the art is being seen in London now (Low 2006) and Parker joins in with an account of how freerunners are "defying death" in the English capital (Parker 2004). Oddly enough amongst all the media reporters describing Parkour as a dangerous stunt and something liable to see hundreds of broken heads on the pavement at some point in the near future, Hansen has decided that the art can actually be taken into consideration as an exercise regime (Hansen 2006). This is, of course, exactly what Belle was basing the art form on to begin with, as it derived from the Method Naturelle; the primary key to bodily health as laid out by George Hebert. Does this mean that after an initial period of shock and what seems like simply a new way of acting out against mainstream society, Parkour has rediscovered its own roots in our weight oriented culture It does seem likely, and the Sunday Mercury has contested that this is certainly the case (2005). Slowly, what started as a physical exploit and turned into a hotly debated art form is edging its way back into the realm of exercise and physical health. How does this mesh with the post-modern ideology that has framed much of Parkour in the past Harris (2001) feels that the beauty of post-modern art is its ability to evolve within itself and express new ideas within an existing reality. As with its original interpretation as post-modern art, Parkour is indeed still being reinterpreted within a realistic and purely physical field, as well as keeping its connotations to a more abstract form of art. Although this physicality does represent the primary function of the Method Naturelle and the roots of Parkour, the fact is that this phenomenon is just basically being brought into the mainstream because it fits the mania of our time: diet and exercise. Smyth and Barney have even pointed out the use of this art in nothing less than pop music itself; Madonna staged a music concert recently that featured dancers trained in Parkour, using stage props to demonstrate a simplified version of the sport (2006). It has become noticeable that freerunning is also being taken seriously not only by its loyal practitioners and audience but by the average citizen: travel articles have even seen the use of Parkour to entice would-be travellers to book holidays and take up the sport for a weekend of fun (Liverpool Echo 2005). Basically what we are seeing is a switch from this underground post-modern phenomenon to a full fledged modern trend. What the Daily Record (2004) refers to as a the sport of "thrill seeking enthusiasts" is in the process of changing and becoming more socially acceptable, and overall, more accessible to the average person. Parkour has been touted as the refuge of the extremist and used to display controversial pieces of post-modern art by people like Cris Burden, however much like the skateboarding it has been compared with time and again, we are seeing this art form come into the mainstream and become a bit softer around the edges. Madonna's dancers cannot have performed the art exactly as created by David Belle because in the context of a music concert one cannot work outside the set boundaries of the stage area; this was a mere pop culture interpretation of freerunning and did not, in fact, exactly represent the sport itself. As Huddleson and Griffiths say, Parkour will either make the average person "tut in awe or gasp at the recklessness" (Daily Mail 2005). Of course, this is the perfect way to sum up post-modern art in all its forms. Works Cited Daily Mail (January 6, 2005). Pick of the Day. Solo Syndication Limited: COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group. Daily Record (October 13, 2004). Living on the Edge; THRILL-SEEKING ENTHUSIASTS OF BASE JUMPING CRAZE RISK LIFE AND LIMB AS THEY LEAP BETWEEN BUILDINGS AND ROOFTOPS. Scottish Daily Record & Sunday: COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group. Liverpool Echo (October 18, 2005). Foreign Travel Battle on for Last Bookings. MGN Ltd.: COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group. Evening Standard (August 2, 2006). Madonnawhips Up Storm; Queen of Pop's Wembley Show Is Horsey and Racy .... Solo Syndication Limited: COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group. Harris, Jonathan (2001). The New Art History: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge. Sunday Mercury (October 9, 2005). Holidays: Take the Ultimate Thrills and Spills Adventure for Beginners; Fully Paid-Up Member of the Couch Potato Society CHRIS HIGHAM Is Persuaded to 'Have a Go' at a Range of Adrenaline-Filled Extreme Sports on a Weekend for Beginners on the Isle of Wight - and Lives to Tell the Tale. Newspaper Title: Sunday Mercury. Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd: COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group. The Mirror (January 16, 2006). YourLIFE: NEW WAYS TO GET SLIM & SEXY. MGN LTD: COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group. The Evening Standard (September 1, 2004). An Urban Leap of Faith; How 'Free Runners' Defy Death as Extreme Sport Craze Hits Capital. Solo Syndication Limited: COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group. The Evening Standard (July 4, 2006). The East End High Life; French Free-Running Sport 'Parkour' Gets off to a Flying Start in London. Solo Syndication Limited: COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group. Miles, Malcolm, and Hall, Tim (2000). City Cultures Reader, NY: Routledge. Josephson, Susan (1996). From Idolatry to Advertising: Visual Art and Contemporary Culture. NY: M. E. Sharpe. The Washington Times (June 11, 2004). Parkour Has Fans on the Run; in New Sport, Players Make Leaps of Faith. News World Communications, Inc.: COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group. Western Mail (March 10, 2005). Free Running. MGN Ltd.: COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group. Banlieue 13 (2004). The Evening Standard (April 18, 2005). Trust the Fresh Prince. Solo Syndication Limited: COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group. Grimsley, Ronald (1961). Jean-Jacques Rousseau: A Study in Self-Awareness. Wales: University of Wales. Gire, Dann (2006). French Thriller Sets New Standard for 21st Century. Paddock Publications: COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale Group. The Birmingham Post (May 11, 2004). Its More a Lifestyle Than a Sport, Say Freerunners. Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd: COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group. Read More