I finally get to define #artletics. The methodology I’ll use to conduct all my further research from now on. During my studies, I wish to capture my love for the outdoors and movement within the context of fashion. I call this ongoing project #artletics – making art or clothes with bodies. By being active, we leave traces on garments (sweat/dirt), which gives them a radically different value system.
My research is also rooted in the search for solutions to dimmish the impact fashion has on the world. I explore the literal and metaphorical role the body, senses and identity play in the production of garments – and how we can create a more emotional and affective relationship between the matter that we wear and our bodily functions. To me, fashion has the restorative potential to undo what it has been complicit in and subvert an era of human exceptionalism.
Artletics is a portmanteau of art and athletics. It is a creative practice that relies upon the body and embodied practices to produce works if art. It is a research methodology to activate implicit, explicit and tacit knowledge that we possess because of our upbringing, culture and even our DNA. By just existing we are already imbued with this knowledge.
It is imperative though that Artletes work towards activating agency where it is absent and repairing the relationship with that which we have abjected.
Striking similarities between Art and Athletics
There are many common parallels between art and athletics. Both artists and athletes share a common trait in their pursuit of excellence and in their will for mastery. The passion that it takes to be an athlete or an artist is one and the same.
Both making art and engaging in athletics take hard work, practice, and drive. Both pursuits are rigorous. Invest your 1000 hours to perfect your praxis. A good strategy is to practise an athletic skill to refine an art skill.
Sport and art are the two most universal languages we have. They enable us to express ourselves physically, emotionally and even intellectually, allowing us to connect and communicate with each other around the world, crossing borders, cultures, languages and generations. If we blend these two languages into one, I believe we could create a powerful new vehicle and platform that could reach, and connect with, an even bigger audience.
If we look at sport and art, and the arts, as being about creativity, imagination and personal expression you’ll begin to see things as I do. And once you see the connections, then, maybe, you can see the possibilities of how sport and art, combined into a special program, could be an ideal platform for interaction, engagement and discussion of ideas and thoughts. If we can communicate and understand each other, we lay down a stronger foundation for a more peaceful world.