Elias Sell, 2026
Parkour as Method for Forming Intimate / Erotic Relationships with our External Environment (Through the Lens of Surrealism)
Urban life revolves around structures with intended uses designed to guide inhabitants towards ‘proper’ ways of interacting with them. Walls act as boundaries determining where we can and cannot go, handrails are intended to be leant on as we ascend and descend stairs, ledges may be for sitting, but often times are simply passed-by without a second thought. As we pass through these liminal public or sudo-public spaces we become dissociated from the everyday structures that populate our world and learn to ignore them, certainly not treating them with the interest or relational capacity another human may invoke. Parkour is derived from the French word Parcour, which roughly translates to ‘The Path’. When I use the term Parkour I am referring to a physical and mental practice grounded in repurposing and redefining (often urban) objects as obstacles to be overcome or as opportunities for creative expression in conjunction with the human body. Across this paper I will present a framework for perceiving parkour as a method to form intimate / erotic relationships with our external urban environments through intuitive movement, using ideas from surrealist thinkers and my own short writings inspired by Franz Kafka.
Copulating with our urban architecture is a forbidden romance. Just as the story of Romeo and Juliet, or perhaps more fittingly, The Great Gatsby, tells the tale of two people who are forbidden love due to their social class, social programming will often deny even the possibility of an intimate dynamic between a human and an inanimate (or god forbid, public) object. Parkour is a recognition of fundamental unity, which in a hierarchical capitalist world is perceived as an error, a method of deviation from the scientific rationalism encoded into us and a way of straying off of the path of excessive reason. The grand urban design that surrounds us often feels overwhelming to me, an excess that has built up a tension desperately requiring discharge. In their abject poverty, stripped of the glamours of the upper class, the urban urchins of humanity have discovered numerous ways to reach this orgasmic climax. Climbing to the pinnacle of a skyscraper, etching their mark into a wall, or most similarly, caring for and developing a skate spot out of a previously disregarded alley. I would assert that parkour is the most accessible, and most intimate version of these methods of forming relationships. Parkour is movement without a vehicle. Parkour requires no gear or protection, no intermediary gimmick between the human and the relational structure, parkour is not inherently illegal, and to get started does not require any special skills beyond potentially the ability to walk. Parkour presents an accessible experiential way for humans to discharge wildly, because how else will we deal with urban architectural excess?
The small ecosystem consisting of the curb, stop sign, and parking barriers had the energy of a young gang. They had seen more grit across their days than most people. The homoerotic energy emanating from them seemed to be fueled from the constant battle for dominance between the pole and the concrete block, and even though I am sure if push came to shove the block would stand victorious, the unwavering confidence of the pole clearly maintained control of this environment. Although the curb would be easy to overlook, its importance could not be overstated, for I had a sneaking suspicion it was the glue that held this ragtag group together.
Erotic Parkour 3
“In the smooth city, urban space is sanitized and urban life is compressed into a seamless experience”. In the book ‘Smooth City’ by René Boer, he defines smooth as a lack of porousness, or a space that only allows certain types of normalized bodies to interact with it in pre-determined ways. The structures that litter our urban environment are designed with fixed intentions and our social programming has coded us to limit the experiences that we believe we can have with these built objects. Said social programming would have us believe that direct and productive communication between urban structures and the humans that populate this space is impossible. Parkour presents an opportunity for everyone, a universally accessible experience, requiring no gear or tools, no money, and no ownership of land or property. Parkour encourages us to reclaim the spaces that are so called ‘public’ and to leave our mark there in an impermanent way, forging temporary relationships which form resolutions to the juxtaposed realities of personal freedom and designed intent. Using the definition of eroticism wherein it means to exceed social expectations, there is a social expectation that erotic movement with objects which can be considered dirty, or abject, is primitive. I believe the opposite, it’s a further advancement of humanity, and one which is only possible when we have lost our connection to our primal forms of movement, for before civilization there was no parkour. There was simply the fact of movement for survival or entertainment. Surrealists seek to “recover what reason has made them lose, against the dominance of reason”, and what better way to do this, than to acknowledge universal unity between persons and their surroundings.
Gripping the curved ledge feels like love handles. The invitation to caress is balanced with the tentative reality that this is our first interaction. Confidently yet gentle is the only way to approach this being, as with every subtle shift in the fingers I lay on them, they redirect me to channel my momentum in new directions. The gentle curves of the smooth granite, evoke an equally smooth set of twists and turns from within me. I see and feel the structure for who they are, and respond in a way that seems complimentary. The result is a temporary resolution finding balance in our juxtaposed social positions.
Erotic Parkour 1
I am Infinitely generous in my communication with the often disregarded vessels littering the city. It is a glorious life to identify with the sun in all of her radiance. I search for spots with desirable features, ones I find compelling, attractive, or interesting, maybe in the same way I see traits in a potential romantic or sexual partner. We are programmed to assume the way people wish to be interacted with, and we impart this same ignorance upon the urban objects we share space with. When someone I’ve recently met, who I do not know personally tells me they are trans, eg, their internal identity does not align with their external socially conditioned identity, it often will change how I start to / learn to interact with this person. In the same way by spending time / attention and asking space / objects how they want to be interacted with I derive who they are and what the most individual and unique way we can copulate is, as opposed to assuming the way they wish to be interacted with based on derivative social programming. A concrete ledge is excellent for jumping onto, but may not be as ideal for rolling as a slanted metal object. Each physical protrusion (or crevice) in the urban environment presents unique opportunities for, and clearly asks to be interacted with in a distinct way. I have spent thousands, if not tens of thousands of hours training myself to be attentive to the marvelous within the mundane, to plainly communicate with physical nuances I pass on the street. Many of these conversations are brief, a simple acknowledgement of existence, while others consist of discourse maintained over years, even decades. I create space and dedicate time to share the erotic experience with these desirable urban features and we become communicating vessels. Parkour is a despised transformation, an inherently anti-capitalist ethos which rejects the notion of human superiority, and creates opportunity to discover erotic relationships within the urban abject through channeling pure psychic automatism in a world dominated by rules dictated by scientific rationalism.
The crevice between the bars was inviting, yet it radiated delicacy, unlike the upper handrails whose stalwart forms clearly stated their ability to hand out as much push as I gave. The rear wall which announced a metallic echo on contact, was clearly being guarded by its partner but still curious to brush up against another form, the thin points of contact they shared with the rail betrayed an eternal longing for a stronger connection.
Erotic Parkour 3
Imagine you’ve arrived at a dance club, the music is pounding and you feel an affinity with the energy in the space. Out of the corner of your eye you spot a person whose look or movements draw you in. You don’t know this individual (or group of people), but something about them calls to you. Perhaps their unique facial piercings, a hat that echoes a sentiment which you resonate with, a kind smile, or the way their intricate tattoos accentuate sinewy muscles or a desirable softness. Whatever the visual elements are, after a brief shared glance, you feel practically summoned across the room to an initial encounter. The way you approach is not meaningless, and the way you are received tends to set the tone for the ensuing interaction. A quick smile, a couple words poetically whispered in the momentary lapses in thundering sound, soft touch in time with the rhythm of the night, however the communication occurs. If the connection is mutual an instance of majestic dance may ensue. This interaction is comparable to the way I may approach a visually appealing object in the street, and the mutual dialogue where we share what we bring to the table and attempt to uncover the ways in which we can synergize, is the key element. I believe this serves as an effective analogy using a relatively common relational interaction.
Depending on the context of the encounter the nature of these relationships can vary wildly. While visiting a new city the relations I form with pockets of space are transitory, in ways comparable to cruising, where we find each other by chance, yet while searching, and after our brief interactions which often end in a conclusive orgasmic convulsion, we part ways, likely to never cross paths again. In contrast at ‘spots’ (as street sport communities tend to label our pockets of space with desirable features) that are local, close to home or places I end up frequently, I develop a more nuanced relationship. Perhaps I have fond memories at a particular location, or avoid another because at one I suffered a particularly painful injury there. There are some spots in Philly that I had become bored of because of the amount of time I’ve spent there, carefully observing each element and fantasizing about spectacular ways we could copulate. Sometimes I am curious to return to these locations, I wonder if absence has made the heart grow fonder, and if we could rekindle a fiery dynamic. The ability to perceive mundane aspects of urban life as opportunities for ecstatic erotic connection is a joy I cannot overstate.
In “Paris Peasant” by Louis Aragon he asks “How long shall I retain this sense of the marvelous suffusing everyday existence?”
In response, at the exact same age as he was when he wrote this, I believe I am beginning to understand the method to never lose it.
Thank you Parkour.