a parkour road trip through italy words and photographs by andy day
the moments between
www.kiell.com Š Andy Day 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Andy Day
a parkour road trip through italy words and photographs by andy day
the moments between
Three in a 2CV In July of 2008 I went on an adventure with two esteemed parkour athletes:
explore, to train, to make the most of a connection through parkour that
Chris “Blane” Rowat and Thomas “Des Bois” Couetdic. Together we took
seems to go beyond international boundaries and language barriers, whilst
Thomas’s 1976 Citroën 2CV on a lap of Italy, exploring cities and mountains
also progressing our understanding of what parkour meant to each of us.
and the countless roads in between, training with and teaching the Italian parkour community, and inevitably seeking out fresh terrain for our own
When first invited on the journey, I questioned whether it was worth taking
movement and challenges.
such a leisurely (or perhaps sluggish) means of transport. I wanted to race between Italian cities and lose as little time as possible given that there
I am a photographer of parkour, a fascination that coincided with the
were also mountains to climb and stretches of coast to explore. I was further
emergence of the UK scene back in 2003. Since then I’ve worked with
perturbed by Thomas’s insistence that, wherever possible, we avoided all
many of the art’s leading practitioners, seen my photographs appear in a
toll roads and motorways. I was to learn that whilst our various destinations
wealth of magazines and had my shots used for advertising by companies
were important, the journey held equal if not greater significance, echoing
around the world. Most of my projects are motivated by a love of trying to
many a traceur’s thoughts on parkour itself, a philosophy often drawn
convey an understanding of parkour through photography. Occasionally
from Eastern mythologies. Thomas’s choice of transport was deliberately
I am fortunate to receive a commission but, most of the time, it is through
indulgent in the slow process of going from one place to another. We were
ongoing relationships with traceurs (practitioners of parkour) that I
here to see Italy in its entirety. Along with cities and mountains, we would
create new work.
also experience the road, its sights, its weather, and the random twists and turns. For me, this distinguished us from conventional tourists who
When I received the invitation from Thomas and Blane, the unlikeliness
merely race from one major location to the next, and led me to a better
of such an adventure had huge appeal; three guys in a very old car going
understanding of what it is to travel. It is these often forgotten, connecting
to visit fellow practitioners in various cities around Italy, exploring hills
spaces that give a truer understanding of a country and, more importantly,
and mountains and coastlines along the way. There was no specific goal
greater value to any journey: what the traceur might call the “moves
or destination, and a journey such as this did not need one. We went to
between moves”, or perhaps the “moments between”.
As the sun dipped, Thomas completed a massive standing precision
either reckless or brave, but through regular confrontation with this
jump that even I doubted was possible. Absorbed by my photography, I
moment, we can learn and progress, not merely judging the physical
only learnt afterwards about the conversations that took place between
challenge in front of us but engaging with the various thoughts and
Thomas and Blane. At first Thomas had thought that it was too big, but
emotions that build towards such a commitment, an engagement that
with Blane’s assurances otherwise, Thomas eventually did the jump.
reaches beyond the world of parkour.
Blane’s confidence in Thomas’s ability was enough for Thomas to trust his friend’s judgement and push aside his own doubts. Had Blane not
Thomas hoped that Blane would be able to find a means of switching off
told Thomas that he could do it, he would not have tried.
from the mental processes that negotiate the fear and commit himself to Thomas’s judgement. In effect, he wanted Blane to jump blind,
And then came Blane’s turn. Thomas knew that it was within Blane’s
asking him to place all of his faith in another person’s perception of his
ability. Having the bigger jump, Blane also knew that he was capable,
ability. For Blane, however, the fight was not inside him on that day and
and yet something held him back. Thomas later explained to us both that
although he did not try the jump, neither Thomas nor I regarded Blane
he had hoped to prompt Blane to trust him just as he had trusted Blane,
as having failed; at least experience could be drawn from the encounter.
and to trust himself, to unlock his mind and commit to going beyond his
And having since spoken to Blane about the jump, I know that he is
usual mental comfort zone.
determined to one day return to Romolo to finish what he started. Three times, no doubt, if not more.
I knew something of Blane’s position; this encounter with fear was something that connects traceurs everywhere, of every level of skill, and
After saying good bye to many of the traceurs from Torino, we made
of every level of experience. Whilst many of us will only ever aspire to
our way back to the city centre with Nino and Valerio from Genova. We
reach Blane’s power and technique, we have all encountered moments
paused to take on some food at the statue of Leonardo da Vinci. Thomas
where we cannot convince ourselves that we are capable of achieving
and I amused ourselves by asking our Italian friends, “So who was this
something that truly challenges us, no matter what assurances we
Leonardo guy anyway?”
receive. Deciding the point at which to push beyond the fear can be
The complete book is 116 pages and documents the journey made by Andy “Kiell” Day, Thomas “Des Bois” Couetdic and Chris “Blane” Rowat to Italy in 2008.
Available for purchase in December 2010.
To find out more, please visit www.kiell.com.