Bruce Gilden

I hadn’t come across Gildens photographs of unlicensed boxing before, previously I was only familiar with his warts and all portraits. The is images capture the unregulated and underworld environment that is associated with this form of boxing. There is a sense of danger in this place, both for the participants and the spectators there to watch. He focus on the elements outside of the fighting. From personal experience these events rarely feature seasoned athletes but men that don’t fit the mould of amateur or professional. Some have criminal records or medical issues may mean they can’t get a professional licence from the BBFC. As spectator it’s an intoxicating environment, the sense of adrenaline and danger is palpable. It a dirty form of what is generally called a noble art. This adds to the attraction for many. There’s something base and seedy about that appeals to the darker aspects of human nature. There are moments of courage, shame, humiliation and machismo.

Bruce Gilden (1994)

Bruce Gilden (1994)

I will be expanding to the invstigatoon to look at wrestling as well as boxing,

Notes on Barthes Mythologies

MIYTHOLOGIES he was reflecting on his interests at the time1954-56. Reflection that grew out of a frustration at the sight of ‘naturalness’ with which papers, art and common sense dressed up a reality.

Felt that nature and history confused at every turn.

Quote- The virtue of all in wrestling is that it is the spectacle of excess page 15

Refer to wrestlemania, this has not changed as I have found on my recent trip to Wrestlemania.

There exists a false wrestling, in which the participants unnecessarily go to great lengths to make a show of a fair fight. This is of no interest. P15

This public knows very well the distinction between wrestling and boxing

Interesting that Barthes comment that you can bet on boxing but not on wrestling as it would make no sense. The bizarre nature of the modern world contradicts him. I wonder what he would make of it.

During this era the wrestling community were very insular, sharing little with outsiders. Barthes assertion that Boxing is constructed before the eyes of the spectator is true though he somewhat naively assumes that all elements of a wrestling match are pre-planned, the reality is that although the main aspects as pre-ordained, many wrestling matched were and are called ‘on the fly’ and also in response to the audience. However I am in agreement with him that ‘the function of the wrestler is not to win, it is to go exactly through the motions which are expected of him.

Each sign in wrestling is therefore endowed with an absolute clarity, since one must understand everything on the spot.As soon as the adversaries are in the ring, the public is overwhelmed with the obviousness of the roles P16 He make the connection to theatre working in this way, there is a pantomime feel to wrestling, the communication with the audience must be clear with clearly defined roles, at least at this early stage Wrestling.

Wrestling is an immediate pantomime, indefinitely more efficient than the dramatic pantomime, for the wrestler’s gesture needs no anecdote, no décor, in short no transference in order to appear true. P18

Cause and effect. Westling fans certainely experience a kind of intellectual pleasure in seeing the moral mechanism function so perfectly.

What is thus displayed for the public is the great spectacle of suffering, defeat and justice. P19

The spectator does not wish for the actual suffering of the contestant:he only enjoys the perfection of an iconography. It is not true that wresling is a sadistic spectacle: it is only an intelligible spectacle. P20

Look at Eadweard Muybridge – Wrestling.