Tracer presents a journey that re-frames and choreographs an alternative movement of bodies and cameras through urban and rural landscapes. The film draws attention to how human agency may act upon built environments and questions the authority inherent to architectural form. Through the actions of a group of parkour runners and the structures that support their movements, a reciprocal connection between the individual, the collective and the environment is made. Filmed in continuous tracking and panning shots the camera observes the parkourists as they investigate each space for its potential to yield particular forms of physical engagement. The use of long, slow sequences and pulled back views intends to remind the viewer of the ever-present position of surveillance within the public sphere. The film’s interest in parkour focuses on how it functions as a non-competitive discipline or practice. Also referred to as the ‘art of displacement’, parkour aims to change the perception of urban space and questions our ability to place and move our bodies in relation to structures that define our environments.
