In the underbelly of the beast: THE CURIOUS CASE OF A SKATE-SPOT

Autumn afternoon.

Brutal facades towering over the sidewalk are meshing in a monolith of grey, as they are cascading down towards the river. The monotone steadiness of city sounds get roughly interrupted by the noise of wheels crushing against the concrete…

When in the Mid 70’s, California-born, skateboarding made its way to the other side of the Ocean, it found shelter  in the undercroft of Elizabeth Hall, by the Southbank of  river Thames. In an unexpected turns of architecturally-cultural events, the space and the activity became co-dependent in an unprecedented symbiosis.

High - culture & subculture,

designed & appropriated,

  dynamic & passive,

public & private.