The Last Forgotten Art

Synopsis

Is crack climbing the Last Forgotten Art?

Perhaps there are certain artistic aspects when learning how to contort yourself, on rock so steep you are practically upside down in cracks that are perfectly sized to take a hand jam, in rock that’s so sharp it’s like climbing a sharp, pebble-dashed crevice.

In ‘The Last Forgotten Art’, the film places emphasis on a different style of climbing that requires a certain amount of creativity to climb them, focusing on the fringes of the climbing community drawn to all things wide at its heart. From hand sized splitters, chicken wings to wedged knees, and whole-body wriggles, the film follows crack aficionados Mel, Vicky and Steve in their pursuit of climbing slightly more unusual, so called ‘off-width climbs’ found at Ramshaw Rocks in the Peak District. Ranging from ‘VS’ to E4, the climbs not only require brute strength and mental fortitude, but a sense of play and tough skin to succeed in tackling some of the roughest, maddest, widest cracks in town.

‘The Last Forgotten Art’ is a film directed and produced by award winning filmmaker Jessie Leong, about finding connection to oneself, connection to nature, and the special connection from the bond formed through sharing a rope.

Director's Statement

The Last Forgotten Art was inspired from watching several adventure films which I felt were unrelatable, relying on watching elite athletes focusing on micro beta and climbing hard grades. I felt they needed to go further to explore the various dimensions around climbing. For me as a storyteller, The Last Forgotten Art was going to be different. I felt I wanted to watch a community led piece, with three, lesser well known, relatable central characters, exploring the reasons why we go climbing.

The main themes I wanted to focus on was the connection between climbers to each other – the sense of trust, the shared camaraderie and support that is so important for mental health, and the connection to self – trusting your judgement, the mental fortitude and having tough skin and a sense of play to tackle the widening cracks. The film was also a way of profiling a connection to the rock – the lesser well-known crag of Ramshaw rocks that often gets overlooked due to its thuggy, off width reputation. I wanted the viewer to see that a climbing film doesn’t always have to be serious – and I wanted The Last Forgotten Art to be a film that viewers find themselves laughing out loud