Ideation
At its origins, skateboarding was firmly tied to the culture of surfing. Disgruntled surfers wanted to do something when the waves were flat and “sidewalk surfing” was born. As skateboarding spread across the USA to places unfamiliar with surfing or surfing culture, it developed an image of its own to the stereotypical subculture born some time in the 1980’s. The image of the skateboarder as a rebellious, non-conforming youth has faded in recent years; but certain cities still oppose the building of skateparks in their neighbourhoods, for fear of increased crime and drugs in the area . The rift between the old image of skateboarding and a newer one is quite visible: magazines such as Thrasher portray skateboarding as dirty, rebellious, and still firmly tied to punk, while other magazines such as Transworld Skateboarding (TWS) paint a more diverse picture of skateboarding.
This project is about bridging the gap between skate culture, and other forms of urban activity.
This project is about bridging the gap between skate culture, and other forms of urban activity.