Description
Book SynopsisSkateboarding is both a sport and a way of life. Creative, physical, graphic, urban and controversial, it is full of contradictions a billion-dollar global industry which still retains its vibrant, counter-cultural heart.
Skateboarding and the City presents the only complete history of the sport, exploring the story of skate culture from the surf-beaches of 60s California to the latest developments in street-skating today. Written by a life-long skater who also happens to be an architectural historian, and packed through with full-colour images of skaters, boards, moves, graphics, and film-stills this passionate, readable and rigorously-researched book explores the history of skateboarding and reveals a vivid understanding of how skateboarders, through their actions, experience the city and its architecture in a unique way.
Trade ReviewThe book is superbly researched, colorfully and beautifully illustrated, and thoroughly analyzes the topic. It has the physical appearance of an elegant coffee-table book combined with outstanding scholarship, effectively employing theory and empirical data, particularly the oral and written testimony of participants. * CHOICE *
There's absolutely no way I can do the work justice here – the book is incredibly thought-provoking, especially from the perspective of actually being a skateboarder. I highly recommend it. * Sidewalk Magazine (praise for Skateboarding, Space and the City, 2001) *
SA fine book that I recommend to any skateboarder who can read at a college level. * Big Brother Skateboarding Magazine (praise for Skateboarding, Space and the City) *
This is an amazing book and a real surprise … A first. Pick it up and you’ll learn something interesting about the cities you skate in; you might even learn something about skating itself. * Slap Skateboard Magazine (praise for Skateboarding, Space and the City) *
Skateboarders help us to think about buildings and their use. Borden argues that they draw our attention to the city as the site of perpetual change. * The Independent (praise for Skateboarding, Space and the City) *
Borden owes as much to 30 years of personal passion and experience as he does to any architectural or social theory. * The Architect’s Journal (praise for Skateboarding, Space and the City) *
Iain Borden’s contribution to the field must be considered a milestone ... Incorporat[ing] a great volume of visual and textual material [this is] an interesting account that will attract both passionate skateboarders and academics who seek to broaden their understanding and appreciation of this small but remarkably influential wooden board. * Brief Encounters *
Table of ContentsIllustrations Acknowledgments 1. Introduction SECTION ONE Skateboard Scenes 2. Skateboards Scooters and Surfing Old School New School
3. Living by the Board Freaks and Geeks Everything in Between Home Turf and Foreign Lands Beer and Barneys Positive and Loving Middle Age Shred All Girl Skate Jam Polycultural Practices
4. Affiliate Worlds Being Professional Companies and Brands Organizations and Control Boom Boom HuckJam
5. Media Worlds Truth and Screw the Consequences Wide-Angled Viewing Skateboarding at the Movies Video Worlds Social Media
SECTION TWO Skateboarding 6. Found Space Asphalt and Concrete Waves Forevers Into the Deep End Blue Tile Obsession
7. Skatopia Concrete Utopia Mutant Wood
8. Skatepark Renaissance A New Dawn Plazas and Paths Terrain Vague DIY Skatepark Worlds
9. Super-Architectural Space Body Space Ask the Coping Flow Projecting
10. Skate and Destroy The City is the Hardware Zero Degree Architecture Urban Rhythms Writing the City Decentred Objects Speaking the City
11. Movement Without Words Critical Citizens Beyond the Shiny Product Gifts of Freedom Ban This Skateboarding is Not a Crime
SECTION THREE Skate and Create 12. Artistry Graphic Design Art Skateable Sculpture Creativity
13. Do It For Others Public Space Moving History Healthy Living Building Business Building Lives
14. Skateboarding – a Magnificent Life? References Bibliography Index
