DO TRY THIS AT HOME... BUT BE CAREFUL
Keeping fit is child's play to the inventors of House Gymnastics. I had misgivings as Spencer demonstrated the Jumping Jack Wedge. Whenever James Ford or Spencer Harrison want to work up a sweat, they clamber up a wall.
Former Nottingham Trent University students James, 22, and Spencer, 29, freely admit that their hybrid performance art/keep fit craze harks back to the misadventures of childhood. "People get more and more into it, partly because it reminds them of childhood," said James. The pair, who live in Forest Fields, define House Gymnastics as a fusion of 'yoga, breakdancing, climbing and gymnastics in a domestic setting'.
Participants strike a pose using furniture or permanent features (banisters, for example) and hold it for about three seconds. The postures, graded between one and five stars for degree of difficulty, have names like the Jumping Jack Wedge and the Elevated Carpet Crab.
House Gymnastics evolved from an abortive attempt to put up a bedroom blind. Spencer said: "We couldn't find a ladder so we put it up by climbing up the window frame."It became a fully fledged artistic concept when they designed a website showcasing 25 different 'human sculptures'.
Their idea seems to have struck a chord - and, no doubt, strained a few muscles - around the globe. Their website has had more than 91,000 hits since it went live in December. Devotees from Finland, Brazil and Australia have submitted their own variations on James and Spencer's original moves.
With tongue in cheek, James recommends House Gymnastics to everyone between the ages of 'two and 84', providing they follow strict safety guidelines posted on the website. James has even converted his parents Rob and Sue, who can be seen 'bustin' some moves' online. "I introduced them to it and they really got into the idea," he said.
James and Spencer, who admit injuries are an 'unfortunate and inevitable side effect', have made a 27-minute DVD of themselves performing the basic moves - called The 25th Element. It will be screened at the Broadway Cinema in Hockley at 2pm on Sunday, February 23, and has also been accepted for an exhibition in London in March. And their fame is spreading - James and Spencer, who have not yet made any money from their idea, will also be appearing on Mexican TV soon. A film crew recorded them on Tuesday and the clip is due to be broadcast throughout Latin America.
Roger Vincent, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said anyone contemplating House Gymnastics should check out the injury log first - and stick to the safety guidelines. "You would need to be physically fit, with a lot of upper body strength. It's not something we would recommend for people who aren't. The danger is that someone will have a drink and try to copy this when they are not in a fit state. People should look at the injury log first to see what can go wrong. "More than a million people a year injured themselves by slipping, tripping or falling, he said.
Keeping fit is child's play to the inventors of House Gymnastics. I had misgivings as Spencer demonstrated the Jumping Jack Wedge. Whenever James Ford or Spencer Harrison want to work up a sweat, they clamber up a wall.
Former Nottingham Trent University students James, 22, and Spencer, 29, freely admit that their hybrid performance art/keep fit craze harks back to the misadventures of childhood. "People get more and more into it, partly because it reminds them of childhood," said James. The pair, who live in Forest Fields, define House Gymnastics as a fusion of 'yoga, breakdancing, climbing and gymnastics in a domestic setting'.
Participants strike a pose using furniture or permanent features (banisters, for example) and hold it for about three seconds. The postures, graded between one and five stars for degree of difficulty, have names like the Jumping Jack Wedge and the Elevated Carpet Crab.
House Gymnastics evolved from an abortive attempt to put up a bedroom blind. Spencer said: "We couldn't find a ladder so we put it up by climbing up the window frame."It became a fully fledged artistic concept when they designed a website showcasing 25 different 'human sculptures'.
Their idea seems to have struck a chord - and, no doubt, strained a few muscles - around the globe. Their website has had more than 91,000 hits since it went live in December. Devotees from Finland, Brazil and Australia have submitted their own variations on James and Spencer's original moves.
With tongue in cheek, James recommends House Gymnastics to everyone between the ages of 'two and 84', providing they follow strict safety guidelines posted on the website. James has even converted his parents Rob and Sue, who can be seen 'bustin' some moves' online. "I introduced them to it and they really got into the idea," he said.
James and Spencer, who admit injuries are an 'unfortunate and inevitable side effect', have made a 27-minute DVD of themselves performing the basic moves - called The 25th Element. It will be screened at the Broadway Cinema in Hockley at 2pm on Sunday, February 23, and has also been accepted for an exhibition in London in March. And their fame is spreading - James and Spencer, who have not yet made any money from their idea, will also be appearing on Mexican TV soon. A film crew recorded them on Tuesday and the clip is due to be broadcast throughout Latin America.
Roger Vincent, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said anyone contemplating House Gymnastics should check out the injury log first - and stick to the safety guidelines. "You would need to be physically fit, with a lot of upper body strength. It's not something we would recommend for people who aren't. The danger is that someone will have a drink and try to copy this when they are not in a fit state. People should look at the injury log first to see what can go wrong. "More than a million people a year injured themselves by slipping, tripping or falling, he said.
(James Kay, Nottingham Evening Post, February 2003)
Selected reviews and interviews:
LeftLion You Are Here Visual Arts ICE Magazine BBC News Online Leeds Guide Sydney Sunday Telegraph Tablet Newspaper Nottingham Evening Post Folha de S.Paulo Newspaper Dazed&Confused City Lights
LeftLion You Are Here Visual Arts ICE Magazine BBC News Online Leeds Guide Sydney Sunday Telegraph Tablet Newspaper Nottingham Evening Post Folha de S.Paulo Newspaper Dazed&Confused City Lights
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