“I wanted to create classic and timeless images that communicated the
essence of what it means to run in a city environment, that
uncompromising beauty that defines New York City,” explained
fast-emerging New York photographer, Tim Barber, at the opening of
‘Burning Bridges’ – an exhibition of earthy black and white photographs
in collaboration with Nike Sportswear.
Barber captured a day in the life of the ‘NYC BridgeRunners’, all clad in Nike Sportswear’s Fall/Holiday 2010 collection. “The inspiration behind Nike Sportswear's most recent collection was Athletics West, a 1970's era rebel Nike running club that represented daring individuals who transformed the sport of running,” said Barber. “The NYC Bridge Runners are a like-minded group of runners, and were a perfect fit to represent this collection.” Consisting of a diverse group of young creatives, the NYC BridgeRunners come together twice a week to run the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg Bridges. Barber documented these bridge runs as a foil for Nike’s latest wares, the result of which are authentic, documentary-style images that allow an insight into the lives of contemporary urban athletes. “I decided to shoot it all black and white to accentuate that gritty energy of the streets of New York,” says Barber, “I was shooting real runners in their natural environments so I wanted the images to reflect and translate that realness.”
Shooting over two days from early morning until late night on all three
major bridges in downtown Manhattan, Barber says the experience was, “a
really exciting challenge, working with a group out in the elements. I
grew up skateboarding, and I wanted to approach photographing the
runners the same way I would approach photographing skaters. I've always
loved the relationship skateboarding has with the city environment, and
I wanted to show that same relationship with the runners.”
‘Burning Bridges’ by New York Photographer Tim Barber. The exhibition is
open to the public through December at Nike STADIUM NYC, 276 Bowery.
—Indigo Clarke
