Urban Archiving

Urban Archiving is a sport created by danish graphic design students Thomas Bræstrup and Andreas Engelbreckt Kamp Bünger.
The sport is born in 2008, and is first documented by danish photographer Peter Urban Albrechtsen.

Urban Archiving is graphic athleticism which falls in the category of expressive sports, such as ballet and parkour. Unlike these two, the actual execution of UA is completely static.
The name takes its’ stand from the characteristic body posture performed during the execution. Athletes that perform UA is referred to as an 'archiver'.

UA consists only of stands, and does not focus on the movement in between the stands. Prior to the execution of a stand the archiver choses a point in an urban environment which he/she finds the most visually striking, this point will consist of one or more balance points. During the actual stand the athlete keeps legs, hips and neck straight, with both arms straight down the side of the torso with wrists and fingers kept straight. The archiver can choose to place himself with feet and head in any direction he/she pleases.

There are various kinds of stands that can be performed, these are explained here:
(the following terms are rarely used in the sport, but serve only to explain it more easily)

One point vertically: The archiver keeps his/hers entire weight standing vertically on either head or feet. In the case of headstands the archiver often balances him-/herself towards a wall or object, but still keeping the entire weight over the head

One point horizontally: The archiver places him-/herself horizontally balanced over one point on an object or edge

Arc: The archiver balances his/her body between two points.

Surface: The archiver places him-/herself on a horizontal or sloping surface

Hanging: Hanging in either the tip of the foot or the chin, the last one mentioned requires an extreme level of agility and endurance.

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