Project Description

Capturing the movement of a boxer in multiple planes from the pivots of their feet to the strikes of their arms in space in a single drawing was a challenge. The assignment for ‘Boxing’ was to document such a human movement and express it through anthropoietic drawing using the human body. The boxer was filmed shadowboxing on the canvas for eight three minute rounds. Charcoal powder was applied to the bottoms of the boxer’s feet and along the sides of their arms. This
would not only trace the movement of their feet and stance along the canvas but drop wisps of charcoal off their arms with each punch. Once this first phase of the piece was done an intricate pattern of footprints covered the canvas. More emphatic steps or revisited foot positions would appear darker and eventually smudge together leaving an impression of how long or often the boxer stayed in such a position. Lying on their side on top of the piece the boxer was then filmed tracing their arms in different striking angles using red pastel to complete the piece. Films from both phases were combined to create a one minute film documenting the process. The overlay of the red arms and fists and the dark charcoal feet tell the story of those eight rounds. The piece shows urgency and repetition and the wonderful complexity of human movement.