I didn’t quite know what to expect when I saw the “Brain Massage” title on the Vimeo Staff Picks list. I certainly didn’t expect 22 minutes of the best freeskiing I’ve ever seen. The video is a tour de force directed by Aarni Toiviainen, featuring Finish skiing by Oskari Raitanen, Tommi Kostilainen, Matti Räty, Riku Laakso, Jussi Mononen, Kalle Leinonen and others.
Most of the skiing takes place in remote regions of Scandinavia, The Baltic, and Russia, which makes for some incredibly unique visuals. There’s nothing like seeing the skiers turn abandoned Soviet warehouses in trick parks.
“After three years, twelve webisodes, two IF3 Europe awards and over one million views Nipwitz has embarked on a new, two-year movie project to be released in fall 2014.
The movie, entitled Brain Massage, is the most ambitious Nipwitz project showcasing game-changing skiing in cities of Scandinavia, the Baltics and beyond. It is also the very last piece of art produced under the name Nipwitz
The last piece of soul, heart and wisdom inspired by the northern spirit of Vikings, dragons and the brotherhood of metal.”
You may remember this sweet Snow Surfer video that Jacob Sutton created back in 2012. Well, now it’s the skiers turn to shred the powder in ethereal LED glowing suits.
This is even what I wrote back in 2012:
“The film is haunting. I like to imagine this is what snowboarding in the future will look like — sculpture in motion. I hope a skiing video is soon to follow.”
Well, thank you Philips TV and Atomic Skis for making my wish a reality.
From the creators:
“From the depth of the creative visuals to the groundbreaking, never-been-done-before scale of the shoot, Afterglow is being hailed as one of the most cinematically profound ski movies ever made. Deep pillows and Alaskan spines, all filmed at night, with massive lights, custom made LED suits, and a national governments worth of logistics, planning, and civil engineering.”
On October 19th, you can find the full 12 minute video here.
Red Bull Illume is an action photography contest that occurs once every three years. Patrick Rochon recently captured 3 wakeboarders with LED’s attached to their boards to create this incredible light painting effect. Snap! Orlando came up with the concept and fabricated the boards. Here’s a quote from the Illume site about the project:
“The shoot… …included many challenges in preparation. It’s hard enough to shoot high-speed action in the dark – add in the tasks of outfitting the boards with the waterproof LCD light systems to staging the cameras, lighting and athletes in proper position to secure the shot, and you have yourself a serious photographic mission.
” says Errington, the 24-year-old wakeboarder at the top of his game.
For Rochon, the set-up and planning were extensive, but the motivation while shooting was simple: “Focus on the art, the creativity, and the beauty,” said Rochon, mid-shoot. Fortunately for him, he knew he could rely on the riders to offer performances worthy of the occasion. “I’m really impressed by the athletes,” he added. “They are so fluid in the water, and they understand naturally what we are trying to do here.””
These wakeboarding photographs are reminscent of Jacob Sutton’s Snow Surfer and also the Neon Surfing from Bondi Beach.
The Red Bull Illume competition has produced some pretty amazing results over the years. Here are the Top 10 Winners from the 2010 competition (click photos to enlarge):
Close-Up 2010: Nathan Smith (AUS)
Energy: Stuart Gibson (AUS)
experimental: Daniel Grund (GER)
Illumination: Chris Burkard (USA)
Culture: Vincent Perraud (FRA)
New Creativity: Eric Berger (CAN)
Playground: Tim Korbmacher (GER)
Sequence: Miguel Lopez Virgen (MEX)
Spirit: Adam Kokot (POL)
Wings: Marcel Lämmerhirt (AUT)
The Illumination shot from Chris Burkard won the 2010 competition, and I must say that I think it is one of the most beautiful photographs I’ve ever seen. It features surfer Peter Mendia riding waves off Chile’s West Coast.
Submissions to Red Bull Illume are open until April 30th, 2013. Visit this site to enter.
