“Under The Surface” by Ilanna Barkusky
Artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez explores feelings of joy, sadness, fear and trust in an underwater world.
During the 2022 World Championships, Anita Alvarez made global headlines after her coach jumped in to rescue her when she lost consciousness in the pool at the end of her solo free routine. Joy during the performance and competition later turned to sadness and the associated fear of getting back into the pool.
Learning to trust her instincts, the water and the process were necessary to return to her creative expression. In Under The Surface, Anita explores these four emotions and their place in her journey in a new way.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
“Under The Surface captures the creative expression of artistic swimmer Anita Alvarez in relation to the cycle of four different but interconnected emotions - joy, sadness, fear and trust.
In the context of the previous year, each feeling plays a role in her journey back to the sport after an incident at World Championships. As she recently returned to competition, she circled back to "joy" once again.
I wanted to translate how we move through these different states of being as a part of our individual experiences in a unique underwater setting. Each emotion is tied to a color, but they all have a place in her journey. I feel extremely privileged to have been able to create this project with Anita as well as the crew involved - her story is incredibly inspiring, and the way she was able to bring this concept to life underwater through her skill as an athlete was exactly what I had originally imagined.”
-Ilanna Barkusky
Credits
Director // Ilanna Barkusky @ilannaemily
Athlete // Anita Alvarez @anitaalavarez
Director of Photography // Jacqueline Lehr @jacquelinelehrrr
1st AC / Select Still Photography // Cynthia Hatfield @cynthiahatfield
Editor & Motion Graphics // Whitney Weir @poorlaurapalmer
Colorist // Elodie Ichter / The Mill @elo.itcher
Composer // Donny Dykowsky / The Ski Team @donnyd13
Sound Design // Matt Tipold @teeper
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