Track and Field: Drawing From the Arena

Cassandra Jones shot a series of photographs a few years ago that were inspired by track and field sports. She shot with with 35mm film and layered multiple exposures to create a kaleidoscope effect that (to my eye), renders the sports arena into a cathedral. In Cassandra's photographs, the field becomes the basilica and the track is the outer nave, or great isle. The arena as a whole is a cloisters, with images layered to mimic stained glass windows, and the running lane markers curve out like great flying buttresses.








'It was this amusement that brought me to the arena itself. Lingering over my collection, it occurred to me that whether you are at play or in competition, an athlete or a spectator, running solo or on a team the sports arena is a place specifically constructed to promote the human heart to beat faster. This body of work is an on going photographic expedition into the euphoria of the space itself as if it had a lasting beat of its own.'

Viewing it this way makes competitive sports a form of worship. The arena is constructed to exhalt the human machine and all it is capable of, so get your running shoes on and praise be, bitches.

Can I get an Amen?