Made in collaboration with Professor Victoria Tischler, THE ZONE examines the phenomenon of peak flow described by athletes as a kind of transcendent and ecstatic condition of effortless, while being physically optimal and focused. It is known as 'flow' or 'being in the zone'. Qualitative data represents in-depth textual and visual information gathered from individuals to facilitate understanding of experience and process. This double screen film focuses on the interaction between mental process and physical performance and maps it onto a series of filmed journeys through various athletic landscapes - sports apparatus, running tracks, water-courses and other spaces. The relationship between the athletes’ testimony and the architectural void in which they perform, triggers a construct that allows us to explore the poetics of athletic experience.
Voiced by Mia Austen and Steven Edwards
Sound by Asa Bennett and David Bickerstaff
Supported by the British Psychological Society - Qualitative Methods in Psychology section.