'Make Space For Us Now': Football and Art Cross Paths Once Again

The intersections between football and art are everpresent: patterns of play, kits, stadium architecture, chants, and so on.

That was what the Design Museum's 'Football: Designing the Beautiful Game' aimed to communicate, and did so wonderfully. As my girlfriend and I (herself a self-proclaimed football critic at the best of times) slowly meandered through the museum's core, we were exposed to the 'beauty' in 'the beautiful game.' Amongst the exploits the exhibition had on offer; Pele's 1958 World Cup shirt, the world's first sports whistle, and the match ball from the 1930 World Cup, it was a piece by directors Douglas Gordon and Phillipe Parreno that caught my attention.

'Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait', depicted the aforementioned under the sharp observation of 17 cameras for 91 minutes - although I only stayed for five. It's quite pretentious on the face of it. As film critic Mark Kermode stated: "I hate football. I hate conceptual art. But there's something I hate more than football and conceptual art, it's that I hate conceptual art about football."

I mean, he's not wrong. I do think if one were to laud it as a 'cinematic experience', they'd be wrong. It's hardly revolutionary, nor does it hold the dramatic and intense qualities most cinephiles crave. But, alongside the deeply intimate tracking shots of Zidane on the field - reminiscent of 'Goal!' - it was the raptures of the Santiago Bernabeu that kept me sitting down. It conveyed the language of football; player exchanges, tackles, passes, shots, and the ever-fastidious Real Madrid faithful.

On the sound of football, its rawness was illustrated feverently during the pandemic - where stands were empty but transparency was plentiful. As Jonathan Liew wrote in The Guardian...

You realise how much our interpretation of football is mediated not by the players themselves, but by the Pavlovian cues supplied by those watching it.

[...]

One of the few benefits of football behind closed doors has been to offer us a glimpse of this rich undergrowth, to hold a cupped ear to the fourth wall and listen to its cries and whispers.

Football behind closed doors reminded us of the game as its simplest, an insight into how Premier League would sound on Hackney Marshes; insults and instructions littering the air with each minute that passed by. That's the reality of most football we play, the same principle being applied to futsal.

Now, I've waxed lyrical about futsal previously (read here). So, as a growing game on the shores of the British Isles, it is yet to attract the masses you'd see at any professional football game. Played within the confines of various sports halls around the country, if one were to record a game you'd be met with the cacophony of reverberated tactical discussion we were exposed to during the pandemic.

That was the case for Rosanna Frith-Salem, whose artwork has taken inspiration from the language of futsal, a sport she has grown to love. Guided by recorded game audio, you can find her mapping her games out on a canvas to produce some truly wonderful pieces - like the one below.

'Rotate and Make Space' by Rosanna Frith Salem

The above, prompted by the audio, depicts a varied use of lines and shapes to map tactical shapes, patterns and movements remembered in-game. Her work is further detailed through the use of words, showing instructions called out throughout the game. Her passion for the sport has long been an aspect of her life, but it was through football that she came into her own. Previously playing in London Bees' system, she learned as a youngster that her pace and technical acumen fit perfectly for the role of a winger - akin to role-models Rachel Yankey and Theo Walcott.

However, she initially had to overcome some mental barriers to truly combine her two passions. After being shown a performance piece during foundation study in London, she learned that football and art could go hand-in-hand - despite her initial anxiety of "the art world is sometimes untouchable." Upon realising the diversity in creative expression and interpretation, she then delved further into the links between the two - community, but also the isolation of the individual.

Developing her practice in Loughborough, Rosanna was your archetypal Loughborough student, one who balanced her academic and artistic endeavours with sporting excellence. Her course gave her the freedom to "explore this intersection between football and art." In turn, she turned to line drawing to express movement, communicating the beauty of football's patterns and language that has been emphasised by a growing fondness for coaching.

She discussed her parents' subconscious influence on her artistic approach, her father an architect and mother a choreographer, and thus the use of space and line being an everpresent factor of their craft. By combining the two, Rosanna has built a style that communicates her passion that bridges the art and sporting world. Having previously worked with Art of Football and the National Football Museum, her work has earnt the recognition it received.

With that being said, she has maintained an inspirational drive, most recently holding workshops that aim to communicate a key message - Make Space For Us. An advocate for women's football and futsal, herself playing at a high standard in the latter - featuring for Loughborough in the National Futsal Series - she highlighted the importance of championing the women's game. A recent workshop aimed to get people to combine art and football, drawing their 'dream goal'; albeit some not solely linking it to football, helping people to communicate their aspirations from pen to paper.

The next exhibition, combining the work of her previous, further aimed to push that message but with a slight alteration. "I changed it to, 'Make Space For Us Now' to try and give that immediacy", conveying that the battle for the women's game is an issue that is perpetual and needs immediate recognition.

With the Women's Euros on the horizon - taking place on home soil - it's a great year to grow the game in England, and Rosanna spoke eloquently on the need for backing across the country to help inspire the next generation of footballers. However, her passion for change is not neglecting her newfound love for futsal, the five-a-side variant very much being the centre point of her work.

On futsal, the top-level in England has been broadcasted on BT Sport this season gone by, showcasing the men's and women's games on equal footing with each other - a rarity, but needed. In doing so, it offers a fresh outlook on how to approach the development of sport for those of all genders, allowing the younger generation to have equal development opportunities and goals to aspire towards.

As the game progresses, so will Rosanna, moving back to London to continue her ventures into the art and sporting world. Ahead of the Euros this summer, you can catch her at a workshop on the opening day, the details are posted below.