about the tour judging, tubes > airs. a big, deep barrel will always score higher than an air. i don't think they'll ever change that approach.
Interesting to hear what everyone thinks about this question. A lot of good perspectives. I think that surfing is the subject of so much artwork that people mistake the actual act of performing it an art. But in the same breath I do think surfing itself does have some artistic aspects. And there are no two ways about it being a sport, it definately is. For a long time I got addicted to the part of riding waves that involves challenging myself, working my way up to big days, and having the courage to get comfortable in heavy conditions. Treating it as a sport. Nowadays I don't approach it like that at all - I moved on from that mindstate - and I try out funky equipment and different styles. Surfing is a salubrious experience, and the connection with nature provides a prime backdrop for photography and artistic expression. But to call surfing solely an art is mistaken, mainly because it does not infect society in any way shape or form. It doesn't change the way non-surfers feel or live, and that effect is one vital aspect of art, that change it often has on society and culture. But then again I've had tons of conversations with people over the question, is graffiti art? And graffiti definately has that impact on society, not to mention the fact it's painting... yet most graffiti guys don't consider themselves artists. To me those two questions are similar in a lot of ways.
art is creating something beautiful. it has nothing to do with anyone other than the artist. van gogh did not sell any of his work. if a tree falls in the forest... a shaper who is an artist doesn't care what people think of his functional masterpiece,but i'm sure he wants someone to ride it well and so appreciate it. a musician doesn't care what people think of his tune,but he wants to play it for someone and definitely hopes they really enjoy it. but they just create,they don't do it for anyone else. i know;i surf alone,and it is artistic when i ride a wave. unless i kook out or get hammered or something. then it's just a failure to be a part of something that is 'a natural art.' when i'm paddling,it's a sport,when i'm riding a wave it is an art. i'm usually out alone with no one else around. the reason i get ill looking at today's competitive surfers is because for them it is a sport,styleless,soulless,showing off.they are incredible athletes who undeniably do more to advance the sport than anyone else,but to me it looks like crap. i have good boards and can try different things that used to seem impossible until the contest pros started doing it,but it's like watching incredible gymnasts. i like surfing and trying to become part of the wave. i don't want to interfere with the beauty of the wave. the wave is the work of art. when i ride the wave,i want to become part of that beautiful work of art.
This is about where I see it. To me, it's like a journey. Like the one I'm about to take to the middle of the Pacific
i think for some it's both,but for some it's just a sport,and for me it's mostly an art,and for some it's something else,too
Awesome post! I really dig your point of view, sort of makes me rethink my own opinions. I'm really enjoying reading this discussion because it reveals the many different reasons why each of us surfs.
Since art is a craft or skill that someone may possess, than one could argue that a surfboard is a piece of art as opposed to surfing a wave which could be considered a work of art. I'm glad I'm not thinking about that when I'm on a wave!!! In fact, that's why I surf. That rush from an intense ride or even a nice easy glide flushes EVERYTHING from my mind!!!!
from a clinical standpoint, any physical activity will do that. Exercise as a rule will de-stress you and with the actual act of surfing (not the paddling part) requires so much concentration, that your mind has to be focused and tune out all other thought to surf.
What is art? " Art is used to refer to any skill or mastery. Art is made with the intention of stimulating thoughts and emotions. " Surfing = skill Style = emotion
I call that the Zen of Surfing. A few seconds of complete focus that I feel like I'm actually not thinking at all. It's just doing. For a few brief moments, my mind is completely blank, and I'm totally absorbed in the moment. I'm not thinking... "here comes a section,"... "I'm gonna do this turn here" It all just happens automatically. I often can't remember what happened on a wave I just rode. That's the addictive part of surfing for me. Those Zen moments of perfection, when I feel I'm not separated from the world, but part of it. I know it sounds corny, but I don't know any other way to explain it. Except that it's some form of purity that's practically indescribable. There's a lot of bad art out there. I hope that if what I'm doing on a wave is considered art, it's good. Funny thing is, I'll never really know.
i thuoght i was the only one. i'll get 10-15 waves in a session and remember like one turn on one of them. so weird.
Yes, surfing is an art. Its also considered a sport. I think its the ultimate sport. I talk with so many older and new surfers and they all say the same thing, Rather surf than do all those team sports. Even Kelly Slater had the same attitude. Didnt he skip school basketball to surf. Now look at what hes done. to me surfing is a dance and dance is an art. Very spirtual, very physical, very right brain. I become one with the ocean especially when getting into a tube where time stands still, where I hear music in my head, where nothing else matters, where the landscape changes every second.
I watched Endless Summer II, for the 100th time, last night on Encore OnDemand...and Bruce Brown says it's an art how guys are able to stay deep in the barrel... For me, it's more about the feeling I get from surfing, the euphoric feelings after catching an incredible ride
im conisder suring art but a sport at the same time. the reason is theres just nothing like being one with the ocean and nothing like sending some nice spray with a setting sun or rising sun and seeing the sunrise or sunset light in the spray which can get very artful. plus just doing cutbacks, barrels that is all art to me to make it all link.but its also a sport as we have competitions just like basketball, baseball all of those sports.
During the ages of the first olympic games, the spectators of the games were seen as being somehow higher in social status and intellect than the athletes themselves.... that watching and appreciating the performance of athletes put spectators on a higher order of superiority than the athletes, who were poor, enslaved, and looked down upon. It's like a bunch of rich people walking around art galleries sipping champagne... looking at works of art created by some broke-a$$ artist trying to make rent. The artist is a "nobody," and the buyer is a "somebody," in that backward universe of reversed social hierarchy. So... who do we think we are? Are the most talented surfers among us just doing what they do for their own intrinsic purpose, while the spectators (or judges) artificially elevate THEMSELVES by virtue of their self-perceived ability to recognize "art" when they see it? And not only to recognize it, but to JUDGE it?
