[Editor’s Note: Today, we’re stoked to launch a new article series by iRunFar’s Hannah Green about the intersection of running and the arts. Naturally, we’re calling this series, “The Art of Running.” We kick off via an interview with one of trail running’s artistic icons, American trail runner and movement artist Rickey Gates.]
Rickey Gates! Or rickey gates — he doesn’t wish to capitalize issues.
I’m tremendous excited to get this new article collection going, the place artwork and athletics collide. For some time I assumed artwork and operating have been two disparate issues, however I simply I hadn’t met the oldsters who dabbled in each.
Enter Rickey Gates.
Rickey Gates pauses for a selfie within the desert throughout his “TransAmericana” run. All images courtesy of Rickey Gates.
I met Rickey throughout the Hardrock 100 one among my first years residing within the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. He wandered across the tiny village of Silverton, the place the race begins and finishes, enjoying the accordion alongside Erik Skaggs’ guitar.
Rickey will not be solely a quick runner, he’s a inventive; arising with tasks exterior of racing that flip operating right into a medium. “Each Single Avenue,” “TransAmericana,” and his group journeys like “Hut Run Hut” and his “Santa Fe Fastpack” all equally use the motion of operating to get to know a spot — like actually understand it.
I spoke to Rickey about artwork and operating, so right here’s his take:
-what’s your medium?
I’ve loads of completely different mediums or methods I like to precise myself. I’ve come to appreciate that artwork can take many various types and that we are sometimes occasions creating artwork and expressing ourselves and we simply don’t label it as such. I studied pictures in faculty. I took some writing lessons on the similar time. I assume these have been my preliminary exposures (no pun meant) to artwork.
It wasn’t till I did my venture “Each Single Avenue” that I began to have a look at my very own and others’ motion as a type of artwork — because the medium by way of which concepts, larger than operating itself, might be explored and expressed.
Utilizing printed out maps and a pen, Rickey Gates ran each road in San Francisco, California, as a part of his “Each Single Avenue” venture.
-what artists have impressed you? what runners/athletes/movers have impressed you?
In recent times, I’ve been most impressed by a recent strolling artist from the U.Ok. by the identify of Hamish Fulton. He appears to understand the perfection of nature in all of their rhythms. To cross by way of nature, with intention and mindfulness, is the peak of expression. He neither takes nor provides whereas on his walks which have ranged in distance from just a few miles to a number of hundred. A easy text-over-photo picture reporting the straightforward particulars of the stroll is all that he leaves us with.
-how did you get into operating?
I bought into operating as a result of I used to be horrible at soccer. Group sports activities was what I did in center college. I transferred college districts going into highschool and it appeared like a good time to check out completely different sports activities. Instantly, I felt extra at dwelling on the cross-country crew. The coaches have been additionally actually fantastic. They’d a humorousness and sportsmanship. They each beloved the paths, so at the very least twice every week we’d be operating the unbelievable trails round Aspen, Colorado.
-how do you see artwork and operating as being associated? (I consider “TransAmericana” as one among your works.) and possibly how has that developed because you’ve been doing them?
Artwork and operating, of their deepest types, are associated in that they each require endurance and struggling. Each require you to have interaction in observe even when, or particularly when, you don’t need to. Each require the fatigue, frustration, boredom, and self-doubt to push you mentally and bodily into deeper realms.
-what’s your favourite mode of transportation in addition to operating?
Mountain biking. No, wait, snowboarding.
-favorite shade?
Drab inexperienced.
Each artists and runners, Rickey Gates and Kyle Skaggs play music in Silverton, Colorado, forward of the Hardrock 100.
-where do you go to see native artwork the place you now stay in Santa Fe, New Mexico?
Santa Fe has many several types of creative establishments — every of which recommend a unique imaginative and prescient of what the land and myriad individuals evoke. Artists are born right here, migrate right here, pilgrimage right here and consequently, along with the extra well-liked photographs related to northern New Mexico, there may be additionally a delicate sub-current of expression. In brief, many of the nice art work I’ve seen right here in Santa Fe has been in makeshift galleries within the artist’s storage or a warehouse efficiency.
After all, Meow Wolf is a should. I’m not saying that as a result of my spouse works there … however on account of working there, we’ve gotten to know lots of the individuals behind the scenes — every, in their very own means, making artwork extra accessible to most of the people. We wish to go there for music — not solely do they convey in superb acts, however to have the ability to expertise the exhibit in a extra cozy, night setting is admittedly fantastic.
There’s additionally a photograph/e-book gallery that I like. Photograph Eye — it’s positioned conveniently near Meow Wolf. They’ve a bunch of small version photograph books on the market which I virtually by no means purchase. However they don’t appear to thoughts me flipping by way of the pages.
-random query: in the event you may very well be a tree, what sort of tree would you be?
Hmmm, most likely an aspen tree. I grew up with them. I like how visibly they expertise the 4 seasons and that they’re household timber — roots interconnected. I’ve all the time beloved locations the place aspen timber develop — as a result of we like the identical locations? Or do I like these locations as a result of the aspen timber are there? One thing tells me the aspen timber aren’t asking this similar query.
Name for Feedback
Do you take into account your operating as a sort of artwork?
How have you ever added creativity to your operating?
What runner artists would you wish to see featured on this new article collection!?
