Running as Art: Pro Athlete, Designer Draws Inspiration From the Trail
‘I just don’t run for myself, I run for others. I run for the people.’
Christian Gering is a multimedia artist, creator, and professional trail runner. So naturally, Janji tapped him to be part of its ongoing Artist Series, where artists bring their designs to life on various Janji apparel.
In this short film, you’ll learn all about Gering as a runner, but even more so as a person. The film is vibrant, poetic, eclectic. It’s got a meditative, zen-like vibe. But also, an element of excitement as Gering runs in a pack of friends, leaping across different landscapes.
“I think about the star design, the mountain design, the field map design, as a collection of stories, moments, and experiences shared with others that I held close, that have held me close,” Gering said. “They may seem distant, but they are close in relation.”
Stars to mountain, earth to sky — the distance is closer than we think.
And maybe, it’s this idea of interconnectedness that Gering has instilled in our minds, and in his art, which now graces runners everywhere. And in doing so, has brought us closer.
“Direction, connection, intention, ascension,” Gering chants to a beat not unlike the one under his feet as he runs beneath the cosmos — beneath a starry black sky and, somewhere, a moon. A rogue beam of light from someone’s headlamp reflects onto his shoes. He keeps running.
Runtime: 6 minutes
This film was produced by Janji.
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