Slacklining in Mallorca
Explore Series by Lane Oliveri for Branwyn, : A Travel Friendly Wool Performance Under-layer
As part of an Active Lifestyle Travel series with Branwyn, photographer Lane Oliveri met up and shot with slackliners in Mallorca Spain for a day of climbing, sun and water, and finding balance. Explore behind the scenes with us on this shoot.
Lane; “Our model Veronica, developed a wholistic relationship with slack-lining strangely in part due to her scoliosis. The efforts she had to make due to the specifics of her health struggle, (efforts particularly to work on balance and straighten her spine) helped her to pick up slacklining more easily than most when she first discovered it 12 years ago. It quickly became a way to center, to channel earth’s natural energy and positively connect with her body. It became a sport that helped her maintain her health and strengthen her core, but as she explored waterline yoga, it became an empowering mental exercise as well.
A serious knee injury a few years ago made slacklining impossible for some time, and this is the first time she’s been waterlining this year. She was excited to get back and pleased that we had connected to do the shoot because, she articulated, slacklining is a very special part of her, and to express this and share it is a rare opportunity.
Our second model, Marta, joined us for some dual shots. Practicing slack-lining for ten years, she and Veronica are far past walking straight across the line and challenge themselves transitioning from one yoga pose to another, with nothing but the 2” of loose band as their support.
Bending, dipping and extending over the waters below, a fall means a cool refreshment from the Mediterranean sun but hauling themselves back on the line from the water is an intimidatingly demanding feat of upper body feat strength.
Both women also practice acrobatic yoga and the secret lagoon where the slack-lining community had set up camp was an amazing backdrop for this dual session. Acrobatic yoga is a practice for two persons and its transitions from pose to pose can become almost dance like.
Taking balance to another level is perhaps the forte of a Slackliner and although these two had never met before the shoot day, they laughed at how easily they clicked and were able to transition from move to move in the moment as if they had choreographed it.
Veronica is also a rock climber and we did some bouldering on the cliffs and formations protecting the inlet, occasionally cooling off in the glimmering sea as we made our way.
“The community”, was formed of a village of bohemians living for the weekend in hammocks hung between Mallorcan pines on the promontory over the lines they’d set up. They took me in as one of their tribe and offered beer, juice, and watermelon by way of refreshments.
That intoxicating Spanish ease set in as a young woman played the ukulele, and the shade combined with a cool breeze gave us a much-needed reprieve from the baking sun.
It was nice to hear at the end of the shoot, as the two women intently discussed who would keep which pieces that we had shot - as both explained these are garments that they would use ALL the time. I love that element of the shoot, that these aren’t clothes that the women put on to take nice pictures, these are pieces that are designed for this kind of lifestyle, versatile pieces that women can live in regardless of the adventure the day has in store.
