In a world that needs to be rethought, what can we do with the concept of performance?
What can we come up with to avoid being constantly under pressure of “higher, further, stronger”, a friendly motto linked to progress, but ultimately in line with infinite growth whose limits and collateral effects on the economy have become clearly visible?
What happens after the “records”?
In the future, will sport be nourished more by values than by numbers?
We sometimes appeal to sociology, and let’s be crazy, to philosophy, but we manage to keep our feet on the ground and suggest some rational hypotheses. We think it’s necessary to:
- Highlight the experiential aspect of sport (existential, emotional).
- To say that sport doesn’t necessarily need “performance” to be experienced, because it goes way beyond a result that is displayed as a ranking.
- To promote sport as a vehicle for personal equilibrium.
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What characterises certain sporting trends, and this film featuring the surfer Honolua Blomfield is an example, is the search for a kind of relationship with the world that is not just about the consumption of the moment.
We believe that this has been a driving force in sport for some time now and that it’s a trend that must increase. This is where the thinking of intellectuals is interesting and enriching because it appeals to the reality of our lives and our true needs.
Boris Cyrulnik and Michel Serres have said things about sport that apply more to the practice of the majority than to any Olympic champion. This is why they help us to imagine what tomorrow’s practices will become.
A few ideas:
Slow down
The need to slow down has been clearly shown. Studies point to this imperative need in part of the population. We’re talking about conservative or collective postures, without the two being necessarily linked, and without it being pejorative either. Speed is not an end in itself; in this world of ours, which in fact asks itself essential questions about the true meaning of ‘progress’. The speed long associated with modernity could become relative. So slow down. Some sports are able to combine slowness and intensity. This is the case here.
Feel
The image of a surfer or a climber in their element allows us to image the notion of ‘feel’ much more effectively. If you think about it, if it is beautifully illustrated here, the cyclist can have a similar relationship with the wind, the road, the landscapes they crosse. Olivier Haralambon has spoken about this magnificently. The skateboarder also engages in a close and sensory relationship with the materials and sounds of the city. “Doing” sport is as much about feeling as it is about doing. One cannot go without the other. Yet the media’s handling of sport is 80% about “doing”.
Resonate
It is impossible not to quote Harmut Rosa again. Here is a man who invites us to step back from speed and to experience the world differently. His concept of resonance is a simple lesson in life, a concept that fits well with sport, body and feeling, and what this film shows at its beginning. To detach oneself from the notion of absolute performance which is corrupting us because it is dominant. Tomorrow’s performance will be about being in balance with the world. Note that we have classified this analysis in the “Wellness & Yoga” category under practice and “Environment” as a theme for reflection. Just talking about “gliding sports” would be limited. Here too, there will be more to say. Extreme or adrenaline are fatal shortcuts.
How do we grasp this notion?
The film focuses on surfing, but as we mentioned, tomorrow’s performance applies to every sporting discipline, or almost. There is no shortage of examples – emerging practices such as yoga or callisthenics are concrete examples.
In 2020, the economic players in the world of sport have got to ask themselves whether their “value propositions” (offer, services, brands) integrate, in one way or another, this profound societal trend.
Which brands in your portfolio integrate these values? I Do they authentically embody the “feel” and “resonance”? And if so, how?
How can I convey this notion of new performance in my innovation projects?
Further reading in the same spirit:
- What if feeling small was our true nature?
- Walking as an escape route and mental health exercise.
- The body, movement, gestures, imagination, creation.
- Sport is a “subject”. In the educational sense of the word. An essential block in your construction..
- Trans)modern sport goes far beyond the result.
- I’m not athletic, I’m not tall, I’m not strong, I’m not fast.
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