LINK TO PROJECT:
Inspired by my personal experience competing in figure skating for 13 years and an article written by Finnish figure skater, Kiira Korpi.
“Am I the only one having mixed feelings when watching these young skaters? I’m in AWE of their incredible skills but i also can’t stop thinking what’s the human cost of this level of performance at this age.”
The typology of the videos consists of not only the biellman spin, but also of the color of the dresses (red and pink), both of which are generally associated with femininity. The typology of commentary in the background is literally present in television broadcasts, but even if skaters don't hear the comments as they skate, there are doubts and thoughts running through their head as they perform.
There is progression illustrated in the video as the skaters increase in level as you continue through the video. The values and ideas of perfection progress and are magnified as you become more explicitly cognizant of them as you move through the ranks. The commentary speaks of the promise and potential moving toward performance, pressure and perfection. The audio of the music is a metaphorical box on top of some messy wrapping (the commentary) to make the video appear neater than it is; this being a metaphor for the sport as a whole.