PHOTOGRAPHY: PARKOUR

Parkour is a sport that uses running, jumping, and acrobatics to move through the city as if it were an obstacle course. Since its inception in France during the 1990s, parkour has exploded worldwide, primarily through videos posted on the internet, and is now seen in movies, television shows, and commercials. Parkour’s essence is found in interacting with the environment in creative or almost poetic fashion: even a simple staircase or park bench can provide challenges when approached through parkour.

New York City is home to a growing community of parkour practitioners (or traceurs), made up of young people from a multitude of neighborhoods and backgrounds. Traceurs are often found in parks and other places with challenging terrain, practicing techniques such as vaulting, flipping and balancing.

I have been photographing the parkour community for the past three years: documenting the movement and action of parkour, its alternative use of public space and architecture, and how these young people transcend boundaries of ethnicity and class. As a traceur myself, I have enjoyed unique access to the parkour community, allowing me to document both the action of the sport and the life stories of New York’s traceurs.