Thursday 17 March 2011

Richard Swarbrick & Gareth Bale - Turning Sport Into Art


By Shane Thomas

Bit of a quick one readers. As this blog's been non-stop about Arsenal for the past month, I think a quick blast of Tottenham will help redress the balance.


Recently, I came across the following YouTube clip - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRZMjHzWXQc. It displays Gareth Bale's stunning two performances against Inter Milan in the Champions League earlier this season. But rather just being a mundane clip of sports action, this is a slightly different take on the two matches.

Courtesy of Richard Swarbrick (@RikkiLeaks on Twitter) he has put a piece of his own music (called "Cinematic Balloons") over the top and has used an style of animation over the original footage that adds a real artistic resonance to Bale's already discernible quality.

What made this worth highlighting for me is that what Swarbrick has managed to do is cut through so much of what turns people off sport and show the beauty of the game in all its majesty. He's made Bale's movements look akin to that of a gymnast or a ballet dancer. This is also helped by his haunting, Clint Mansell-like soundtrack (a free mp3 of which can be found here - http://bit.ly/hjY1L2

Swarbrick has taken an amazing piece of athletic skill and has elevated it to art. This isn't about transfer rumours, off-field indiscretions or inflated player wages. This is the joy of the game in all its elemental magnificence and helps remind us football fans as to why we loved the sport in the first place.


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