Monochrome art as it is understood today began in Russia with the avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich.
The aptly named "Suprematist Composition: White on White" succeeded the equally iconic "Black Square", itself considered the focal point for the birth of minimalism.
Responses to Malevich by artists such as the Constructivist Alexander Rodchenko, revealed an immediate paradox in the movement.
Whilst Rodchenko and others sought to portray “the death of painting”, where the art represents nothing but itself, Malevich was depicting a multi-dimensional and infinite space.
In the design process for our Voluntary Discomfort Collection, it was natural for us to look towards monochrome for artistic inspiration, not least because running as a discipline contains an almost perfect parallel.
For some, running is an act of willful relinquishment, whereby the harsh process reduces the self to its purest form.
As the ultra-runner Karnazes describes, “you can achieve in 24 hours of running what takes a month of meditation. You slowly whittle down and pretty much eviscerate the ego."
For others, running is an act of pure empowerment, achieved through a flow state that grants a sense of complete and limitless control.
Whichever way you fall, all runners understand the dual inevitabilities of running. The pain of suffering and the reward of self-discipline.
Styled and shot by Dan Jones (@daaaanjj)