THE SLIPSTREAM
The slipstream is evidence and artifact of movement. Not just action, but movement.
Cyclers, runners, swimmers, and other performance athletes sometimes think of this as drafting. These athletes will position themselves close behind a group leader in order to experience a space of less resistance, allowing the leader to take on the job of breaking the headwind, and drafting off their forward motion.
The slipstream is the force created in the space where movement has just occured.
When movement becomes momentum, the slipstream is not only a space of less resistance, it actually begins to have its own pull. At that point it is easier, more efficient, and more effective to join in.
The Slipstream is COLLECTIVE
Something really captivating about the world of cycling is how teams will collectively leverage the slipstream effect. They will work together to generate and protect forward momentum. The leader of the pack breaks the headwinds and sets an ambitious pace. Team members work in the slipstream to keep up while benefiting from the trailblazing of those in front. And then, they trade places, allowing others work on behalf of the group while trailblazers fall back to enjoy a space of less resistance.
The Slipstream is FIERCE
The Slipstream may sound like a comfortable space with zen music and slip, sliding away feels. It’s not. It’s a brave space. One that is often fiercely-forged and fiercely-protected. It’s no conveyer belt. It requires sweat to create it and requires sweat to maintain it.
The Slipstream is HUMAN-POWERED
We will not get where we want to go by decree or by accident or by virtue of a wish, hope or prayer. We must take ourselves, and bring others with us, to reach the reality we desire. There aren’t hacks, or tricks, or apps, or fad diets that will absolve us of the work that’s needed to transport and transform. We need to rely on, and invest in ourselves and, more importantly, the people around us. We are each others greatest assets and it’s our collective might that presents the potential for change.
The Slipstream is TANGIBLE
This is not a theoretical or abstract concept. It is not an idea. It is a practice. It is a physical phenomenon that can be experienced with our five senses. We can see it. We can hear it. We can feel it. And yet we are accustomed to over-looking it. Some of our work therefore is about making movement more visible. The images on this website use other materials (water, paint, sand) to do just that - make movement more obvious. This is a strategy that highlights both the motion and the space impact. Our call is to employ people-, organization-, community-centered strategies like these to build people-powered momentum in the spaces most important to you.
