Interview Patrick Kasingsing
Images Rory Rebustes, Benjo Cabarro, and Raven Cruz
Hello Karl! Climbed new walls lately?
Karl Bautista: Hi Patrick! Surviving this pandemic and adapting to the ‘new normal’ is proving to be a much harder ‘wall’ to climb than any of the ones I’ve scaled previously!
You are both an architect and a parkour artist; can you recount to us how you were introduced to this physical activity? What immediately attracted you to parkour?
Karl Bautista: I love how you used the word “artist,” but we’re more commonly known as parkour athletes or traceurs, to be more precise. I actually started with gymnastics as a hobby. Then one time, during a training session at the gym, I saw this group that was training differently; they moved in a way that was both free and graceful, with movements that weren’t limited by precise gymnastic rules and regulations. I then found out about parkour and started training with them in the outdoors and, eventually, amidst more urban settings.
How has this activity enhanced or affected how you view the spaces and places you move in?
Karl Bautista: Parkour in the urban setting is not governed by strict rules but by precise and calculated movements. Traceurs (people who practice parkour) who have been practicing the sport for a while develop a different kind of vision or viewpoint of the world. They look at inanimate objects and fixed structures and see how they can interact with these and move freely about them in their own style; this path is called a flow and is best described as a line for them to trace to get from Point A to B. In this regard, elements of the urban realm can take on new functions and roles in the eyes of a traceur: they can be a springboard, a platform to rest, or an obstacle to overcome.
Granted, parkour often involves people maneuvering into spaces in ways they were not always designed to accommodate, but what insights or observations have you gathered about how architects and urban planners design spaces and places now?
Karl Bautista: Architecture can influence human behavior in a particular space: it can be as blatant as putting up walls to prevent people from accessing an area or as subtle as elevating a platform by a few steps from the footpath to change the use of the space. The architect has an envisioned plan for how users are to engage with a space, but traceurs don’t see it that way; we challenge the structures and their purpose by design. The essence of parkour and freerunning is freedom of movement and exploring the potential of the built environment beyond its intended purpose. That said, if an architectural element or public space has you exerting more effort or employing more strenuous means than normal to maneuver, you know that there is something wrong; this is sadly the case across many of our urban spaces.
Were there moments that have led you to reevaluate what you think of spaces that diverge from how you were traditionally taught? Like how perceived ugly spaces find redemption and the other way around?
Karl Bautista: As an architect and parkour practitioner, designing can be equal parts fun and constricting. The concept of ‘flow’ in both disciplines varies with regard to the degree of freedom one has in maneuvering a space. Parkour is both enabled and hindered by the presence of architecture!
User comfort is the driving force behind architecture, but the discomfort and exertion one derives from parkour are also enabled by architecture. The relationship between these two fields sure is interesting and further spices up the sport. In more grounded terms, for us ‘homeless’ traceurs, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and quite literally too! Being able to hold sessions in the backyards of buildings, around dumpsters and low walls, is a parkour haven for us athletes. “Ugly” spaces such as these have a faint security presence, and personnel would rarely bother the training sessions. We traceurs make do with what is currently available; this itinerant aspect of our sport, while impractical at times, has helped us build strength and be more flexible with our flows.
Would you say that Metro Manila is a parkour haven?
Karl Bautista: I can see why you’d think that of our city, crowded, tight, and sprawling as it is. Unfortunately, practitioners are limited by the availability of open areas, privatization of spaces, and lack of proper training facilities. Stairs are meant to be climbed, railings are meant to be held, and benches are to be sat on, but we traceurs see these elements differently. As a result, our sport tends to be taken with suspicion; it appears threatening and rebellious, and needless to say, security guards aren’t our best friends. Parkour athletes who train in urban areas are sometimes seen as vandals since the sport involves direct contact with existing structures in a risky manner, but what others don’t see is the hours of training and preparation necessary before we attempt our flows. The city is our playground, yes, but not all corners are hospitable or open to our admittedly unorthodox expression of free movement.
Can you walk us in a bit on how you prepare for a parkour session? Is there a lot of research and planning involved?
Karl Bautista: A typical parkour session pans out like any other sport: We start with warm-ups, stretches, and drills, with some free time and cool down to finish. The biggest difference with the training is that our playfield changes from time to time, and with every new area, we need to analyze which drills we can do safely. The practice of parkour involves being very much attuned to one’s surroundings: not only do we have to take note of the obstacles we jump over, but we also have to mind the people within the area. We watch out for other athletes tracing their runs and also passers-by who cross our paths to avoid any injuries and accidents. Apart from this, we double-check the structural integrity and material make of the obstacles that we are going to utilize. We ask ourselves questions like, ‘What is the texture of this wall, and is it rough enough for us to step on and climb over?’ ‘Will this railing give way if we step on it?’ or, ‘Is the lamp post sturdy enough if we swing around it?’. The safety of practitioners is always the top priority, followed by trying not to break anything within the practice area or leave any trace of damage.
What’s the most challenging space/place you’ve ‘flowed’ in? was there ever a time that you had a close call in one of your sessions?
Karl Bautista: When I had to train 40 stories above ground on the helipad of a condominium building, I wanted to overcome my acrophobia, so I chose to inflict myself with such a challenge. Apart from being a physical sport, parkour is also very much about the mind; logical thinking and confidence can spell the difference between a successful run and a painful spill. For example, a seven-meter jump can only be achieved by being able to instinctively do a five-meter one.
Of course, for that particular flow, I did not risk my life by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Just being far from the ground is already enough of a mental challenge, especially when you stand near the edge.
Let’s have you put on your designer hat now. What do you think is the most urgent concern that needs to be addressed in how our designers craft our spaces?
Karl Bautista: Since we are still in the middle of a pandemic, an urgent concern for designers would be addressing how to adapt our spaces to the needs and requirements of the new normal. Social distancing, proper ventilation, and regular physical exercise have proven effective in controlling the spread and keeping people safe from COVID-19. Lately, we’ve seen a growth in alternative sports such as wall climbing, obstacle-racing, and even dancing as compared to traditional team sports, where mass gatherings and human contact are almost inevitable. In addition to this, some townships and cities have started to adopt the concept of shared streets, where they convert a street into a more pedestrian-friendly space where people can have various alfresco activities to help prevent the spread of the virus. I guess the keyword here is ‘flexibility.’ We need our spaces to be nimble and adaptable to unforeseen scenarios while holding the physical and mental health of its users paramount. The pandemic has shown us the failings of our current system, and we now have a chance to improve the status quo.
This is our issue on the function of beauty; what do you think should beauty’s role be in architecture? Would you say that there are parallels between what parkour considers graceful or beautiful and architecture?
Karl Bautista: Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas (strength, utility, beauty) are the principles of good architecture according to Vitruvius, instituted during Roman times and still influential today. Georges Herbert recognized as the originator of parkour, pioneered this form of free movement based on military training. His dictum, “Etre fort pour etre utile,” or ‘Be strong to be useful’ reveals that the core of the discipline is, in a way, reflective of the principles of good architecture: they both prioritize strength and utility of being. Where does beauty come in? in our sport, this can be the resulting movement and flow resulting from the harmonious marriage of strength and utility. Another parallel between my sport and chosen craft related to beauty is that of the well-sculpted human form, resulting from hours upon hours of training and practice; the muscles resulting from such rigorous training mirror that of the blatant display of structure and utility of postwar architecture movements like Brutalism.
Man’s relationship with built spaces has been gruelingly tested by the current pandemic; how has it personally affected how you design?
Karl Bautista: I currently work for a firm whose focus is master planning and urban design, and we’ve talked about providing more open spaces to address the safety concerns of close contact during the pandemic. Through the concept of shared streets, we’ve been trying to design urban areas that are more pedestrian-friendly. Apart from this, it’s evident that people are now investing more time, effort, and research into how their homes are designed. Due to the hazards of working outside and coming into contact with the virus, design considerations in residential houses have become more health-centric. But beyond physical strength, mental well-being should be given just as much attention in how we design our living spaces. There should be ample space or a way for users to be able to separate their work from their personal lives within their homes, especially now that both aspects are tied to one space.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but what qualities do you think great architecture possesses that transcend traditional notions of beauty and style, of culture and material?
Karl Bautista: In a parkour ‘flow’ competition, a run is considered to be exceptional when the competitor flows through the obstacles as if they weren’t obstructions; rather, they enhance his skills and result in beautiful movements. In short, understanding one’s context is key to beautiful flows, just as is the case with good architecture. I find beauty in spaces and places designed to cohere and engage with its context, one that acknowledges or adds to an existing community’s sense of place. This is a herculean task (just as with parkour flows) and entails its own set of ‘acrobatics.’ At the end of the day, nothing is more satisfying than seeing a community embrace a new addition with fervor and warmth. •
Go with the flow with Karl Bautista at @karlbauuu
