Mark Wallinger: Camera Running

Camera Running will screen on Level 1 at BALTIC on 15 and 16 September 2012, on the weekend of the 2012 Great North Run.

Camera Running was filmed at the 2011 Great North Run from the perspective of an elite athlete at the front of the race. It’s a route millions see every year broadcast live on BBC One and hundreds of thousands turn out for, either as spectators or as one of the 50,000+ runners who take part.

In a single slow steady shot, the camera silently follows the route ahead of the front runners, giving a view of the course only a handful of elite athletes usually see. Gliding along at runner’s eye-level, we pass city centre motorways and busy roads lined with thousands of well-wishers eagerly awaiting the mass of runners. It’s a journey from the urban through the suburban, passing the iconic landmark of the Tyne Bridge as well as long stretches of empty rural countryside as the route winds its way through Tyneside and out to the windswept coast.

In a dream-like way, this silent film beautifully captures and connects many of the different elements which make the Great North Run so popular. It is a celebration of runners’ achievements, of regional pride, a tribute to the heritage and history of the race and the thousands of people who turn out each year to cheer on the runners.