One Saturday in July 2007, a loud procession of 100 amateur boxers arrived at Tate Modern in two groups, via the Thames and the Millennium Bridge.
Led by a bagpiper and African drummers, and carrying banners, the boxers paraded through the Turbine Hall, with some going on to perform in a boxing ring on the Hall’s bridge.
But this was no ordinary boxing match. The event was The Fight – not a real fight, but a choreographed music, dance and boxing performance.
Conceived by Panamanian artist Humberto Vélez, The Fight was four months in the making. It recruited its performers from three local Southwark boxing clubs, with music from MC Mic Assassin and choreography by Flawless, a street dance company.
Southwark is home to an active boxing community, and The Fight drew on that local tradition in a collaborative project to engage the community with the work of Tate.
