Page 12 - SMCK Magazine - Issue #01

Mike Fox Skatepark, Santa Cruz. Photo: Dunja Stamer
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modern sport has been rationalized, disciplined, and removed from the cul- tic context that—by concept—the an- cient Olympic Games expressed.
According to my thesis, skateboarding, as a paradigmatic “postmodern” sport, moves back from record to ritual: it’s about the ability to do tricks, but mainly the ritual is performed through a loyalty to style, or, in other words, through the authentic physical enactment of an aesthetical scheme.
This is where the creativity begins: skateboarding is largely about adap- ting, combining, and inventing new movements, not about perfecting exis- ting ones.
CZ: You mentioned the “artistic claim” as being part of skateboarding. How did this claim come about?
VS: In the 1960s, the early years of skate- boarding, slalom and figure skating were the most popular disciplines, with measurement categories that were adapted from conventional sport com- petitions. The rupture took place in the late 1970s, when some young athletes in California started to skate “vertical” in the now legendary swimming pools.
The edgy—and dangerous—move- ments in the steep-sided empty pools can be characterized by a kinesthetic proximity to punk/hardcore music.
Riding on “unsuitable” terrain can phy- sically be compared to slam dancing: you throw around your body, it’s a radi- cal game of losing control. The cultural link between music and sport is based on this loss of control.
“With
the categories “high” and “low” shif- ting in the art world, skateboarding has started to enter galleries and museums.”
Many skaters also play in bands—if you look, you can find a “Skate Rock” section in any music store. Skateboarding later adopted hip hop music, since it perfectly corresponded to new maneuvers, complex board flips, and body twists. Sport and art now start to approach each other; the
skater also becomes the designer. Street art is the starting point: skaters started to design their own board gra- phics and their accessories.
CZ: Besides a growing tendency to- ward commercialization, skateboar- ding has entered the art world. How did this happen?
VS: An important factor is the nexus bet- ween images and bodies. The “team ri- ders” of the large skate brands are not primarily expected to win medals, but rather to embody the marketing aes- thetics of the specific brand, which be- comes explicit through the board and clothing designs.
Tony Hawk, one of the most famous skateboard stars, noticed in the 1980s that certain styles of physical moves re- lated to certain brands. In order to make a difference through their graphi- cal style, many skate brands have deve- loped a huge appetite for refined designs, with which they also expand into fashion.
With the categories “high” and “low” shifting in the art world, skateboarding has started to enter galleries and muse- ums. In 2002, Luxembourg artist Michel