Like human birds
Ancient Matera teems with the athletes of Red Bull Art of Motion
The soaring masses of the Sassi of Matera cut through the sky. There’s art in shifting, a beauty in movement. Freerunning, the new, modern wave of urban hyperactivity, is transported to an evocative space, in a cultural landscape that exudes history and legend.
The “Underground City” turns into open airspace, the stomping ground for flying athletes. Young runners embrace the void, the surge of adrenaline as they strive for the perfect gesture. They weave from above through the world-worn streets, human birds eager to investigate the unknown, to draw from the local architecture.
There’s no time to think, no time to be afraid.
Thousands of onlookers watch the acrobats of the clouds, following them from one balcony to another, from one spin to a landing. Everything flows quickly, defying gravity. Matera hears each step and accompanies her new, bold explorers: prophets, artists of danger whose pain becomes redemption, whose past becomes future.
ATHLETA MAGAZINE ISSUE 06
Credits
PH Margareth Gàspar
TEXT Gianmarco Pacione
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