Is skiing art? Filmmaking is certainly an art, so the making of ski movies is, undoubtedly, a portion of that specific type of art. Acting is certainly an art, but the skiers in most ski movies aren’t acting (at least not for the major bits of why we watch these movies). So are the skiers not artists, while the directors and people behind the cameras are? Or does skiing count as some sort of performance art? And if you aren’t skiing for an audience, is it still art? Where do we draw that line?
Those questions are explored in depth throughout the Faction Collective’s fourth feature film, ‘Abstract’. Featuring athletes like Alex Hall, Brooklyn Bell, Koga Hoshino, and so many more, the movie takes us around the world of skiing to dive into the art within the sport, and man does it do it well.
“Skiing is not art, and skiers are not artists. Unless, of course, skiing is art and skiers are artists? Faction’s fourth feature film exhibits pure creativity through a series of freeski sequences—from the vibrant streets of Japan, to the powdery pillows of British Columbia, to the finely-manicured terrain parks of Switzerland and Italy. Each location provides a blank canvas for the team’s artistic expression. Because nothing screams “artist” like sending large cliffs and grinding the side of buildings.“
So is skiing an art? Personally, I would consider quite a lot of skiing an art. Certainly skiing for films. Even some competitions, like any freestyle or freeride, would fall into performance art in my mind. I’d probably draw the line at groomer runs and ski racing, but even mogul skiing, tree skiing, and any sort that includes really picking a line seems a bit like an art to me.
Image Credit: Red Bull Snow via YouTube
Related: This Entire Ski Movie Was Filmed On The East Coast