ZINE: Running as Performance Art

My final photography portfolio class here at SCAD has been challenging me in all the best ways. One of my truest loves within the art and design world is print/publication design and I've had an idea for a zine about race day cooking in my head for a while. I'm so excited to have finally, painstakingly, brought it to life. I'm so excited to now share it with you! It includes photos, writing, graphics, notebook scans and audio recordings of my team. It's printed on a mixture of matte photo paper and vellum and saddle stitched by hand by yours truly. It was a labor of love that I'm so proud of. Head over to my instagram to see a page-by-page flip through and hear the audio recordings.

Artist Statement:

This zine, “Theory on Running as Performance Art”, explores what all the senses experience on race day. From the sweat on the back of your neck to nervously tying your racing shoes, the day is full of intense and vivid physical experiences. This story is told chronologically and from a variety of perspectives. I use a documentary perspective as I was an active participant in the scenes pictured. By using scans of my personal notebook, in which I’ve written goals and affirmations, it’s shown how much preparation happens even before you reach the track or course. While this story is about running, I’ve focused on almost everything but running. Many athletes’ most consequential decisions and emotions happen before they arrive at a competition, so I’ve detailed the full spectrum of preparation and recovery. This zine also utilizes graphic elements and writing to aid in storytelling and create a complete and vivid narrative.

The themes this body of work focuses on are important to me both personally and professionally, as the intersection of storytelling and authenticity in athletics is a theme my work often focuses on. Having grown up as a distance runner, I’ve had my own experiences in the sport and feel a deep need to explore and express the confusion and beauty that I’ve experienced. Overall, I aspire to tell the stories of athletes dear to my heart in hopes of expressing the abstract beauty and pain of both our sport and our experiences.