‘Boxer Beat’: turning punches into music
June 10, 2022 | by Matt Halfpenny
Boxers at the Rectory Amateur Boxing Club in Sutton Coldfield have been using their jabs and hooks to make music thanks to the Birmingham 2022 Festival.
Five boxers from the club have joined forces with two local musicians – Joe Cook and Mr Auden Allen, and local Cinematographer Vafa Motamedi, to create musical tracks based on each boxers’ style and pace, as well as a short documentary film of the process.
The aim of the project is to celebrate the universal power of rhythm across the two separate disciplines – boxing and music – and capture the experience on a documentary film.
The result is ‘Boxer Beat‘ a documentary style film featuring the music tracks that will premiere online on Wednesday 1 June at 6.00pm.
‘Boxer Beat‘ is part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival’s Creative City programme and is one of 107 projects – funded by Birmingham City Council and will see community groups playing their part in the citywide Commonwealth Games celebrations.
Rectory Amateur Boxing Club is a club that is as much about community as it is about sport and they saw the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games as a great opportunity to show the world just that; as club founder and senior coach Phil Brennan explains:
“The Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham is an inspiring opportunity for our club to show the world how the power of a community club, sport, and the club members can be a really positive force in their own community.”
“I think art is a very powerful tool too, and being able to work with local artists to bring a creative dimension to what we do here at the club has been a fantastic experience.”
We can’t wait to share Boxer Beat with the world, and we hope it will inspire others to take up either the sport of boxing, or maybe even to start their own community group doing something they are passionate about.”
Musician and boxer, Joe Cook said: “There’s huge elements of creativity in boxing and rhythm is the cornerstone of it all.”
“Using the rhythm of the boxers we’ve created personalised tunes synchronised to their individual tempo while training and boxing. Allowing boxers to collaborate and compose through their movement.
Cook added: “The boxers have also had the opportunity to take part in the process of both the music and the film making learning news skills along the way.”
Boxer Beat by the Rectory Amateur Boxing Club will premiere online at 6.00pm on Wednesday 1 June.
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