We pretend to be a legitimate source of information on skateboarding and culture here at SnA, but really we’re just a couple of guys wise cracking at a keyboard. Nothing illustrates that more than the fact that I have two links in this post that were supposed to be related, but I’ve lost my notes and context so can’t make a thoughtful analysis. Aww hell, I’m posting it anyway. First we have a gallery of anti skating devices called Unsubtle deterrents. None of the photos are amazing, but the collection sure has an nice calming effect for some reason, even though it should make my blood boil. I only wish they were all the same size and orientation. Next we have a paper by Ocean Howell titled “The Poetics of Security: Skateboarding, Urban Design, and the New Public Space” Sure it’s a bit dry, but the gist is that “skateboarding is exceptionally good at drawing attention to the quietly exclusionary nature of the new public space.” In other words, public spaces are being designed to force the public to use them in ways that the public doesn’t necessarily want to. It’s like the grandmother that gives you $10 for your birthday but tells you you have to put it in the bank and not spend it on comic books or candy. Gee, thanks. There’s a pretty obvious conclusion to draw about modern skatepark design from a street skater’s point of view. In any case Ocean’s article exists on an online archive that craps out after seven pages of text with titles like “Voyeur-god vs. the Spatial Practitioner” that all have to do with skateboarding in public spaces. I haven’t read it all yet. I thought there was no limit to how much I was willing to geek out about skateboarding, but apparently I found it.
Disciplinary architecture
What a great name for a principle. I heard in Amsterdam they have a whole district devoted to women you can hire to work out some disciplinary architecture on the old drafting table, although nowadays you can do it in cyberspace with the help of a good CAD program. But I digress.
I did manage to find the original source for the previous links. It was an entry on Architectures of Control titled “Making a sleek piece from a pig’s ear” which means nothing to me. Perhaps it’s some sort of English design colloquialism. Architectures of Control is about products, systems and environments “that are being designed with features that intentionally restrict the way the user can behave, or enforce certain modes of behaviour.” Dan Lockton is the site’s author, and he apparently gets a lot of people hitting his web site for information about skate stopping devices. It’s possible to imagine to that there is a community of individuals who are intellectually stimulated by the idea of the skate stopper, but more likely it’s people looking to deploy or disable the devices.
Ok, there are obviously some people with a more scholarly interest. There was an extremely dry book published in the UK that was all about the appropriation of public space by skateboarders. At least that’s what I think it was about. I didn’t get through very much of it. It had an orange cover, if I recall correctly.
Ocean Howell
And speaking of great names, there’s Ocean Howell. It’s both dignified and whimsical, but a lot more credible sounding than something like Yahoo Serious. It’s more like “Oh, that’s Ocean Howell, the eccentric philanthropist” and less “That’s the annoying comic who has been crashed on my couch for a week and won’t leave.” I started digging around to find out who this guy was and was surprised. He’s written several articles on various serious subjects for Transworld Business and commented on Extreme!™ marketing for Topic Magazine in a piece called “Extreme Market Research: Tales from the Underbelly of Skater-cool.” It’s a good read if you like the genre that is part history, part personal history. Lord knows I do, since I can’t refrain from writing them. I have to chuckle at the passage where he seems to be equating punk rock with wholesomeness and hip-hop as more threatening… oh wait, he’s actually talking about New Wave.
He was also a pro for Birdhouse in the 90’s, which would explain why I didn’t know who he was. The decks above are courtesy of a Skull and Bones thread. The video footage of him on YouTube appears to be from H-Street (Next Generation) and Santa Cruz (Risk It). SeattleSkateparks.org has a profile on Ocean Howell, and more importantly, a link to the complete and non-cached version of his paper “The Poetics of Security: Skateboarding, Urban Design, and the New Public Space.” It looks like he’s working on getting his P.H.D. from Berkeley, so I’m sure he’ll have lots of time to chime in on our juvenile doings over here.
Check out these Ocean Howell videos posted here for your enjoyment.
H-Street: Next Generation
This is just the Ocean Howell part. This video was released in 1991.
Santa Cruz: Risk It
This is just the Ocean Howell part. 1990 release date.
Mystery vid
Is just says Ocean Howell.
Dan Wolfe has more recent footage from 2003 burried in his news section. Ocean appears in dan’s very excellent Closure dvd.
7 comments
Daniel from Milwaukee
I am an anthropologist/archaeologist studying at UWM in Milwaukee. I began skating in 1984. I put the board away in 1993 when I joined the Navy. I am now 33 years old, and I am proud to say that I have landed my first 360 flip in fifteen years yesterday. I am either crazy, or simply trying to relive my youth by using something that I have always loved as an excuse to “go Green.” Skaters should be proud to have been a part of an old Movement to be more fuel efficient. I am interested in following up on Ocean’s lead, and studying local skateboarding culture. You may see a boring academic paper from me in the near future.
keep skating – you only live once.
Dan Dybowski
CalArch
Love the blog, if i may ask, what software are you using? how much does it cost? where do you get it? If it’s not a secret email me some details wouldya?
thanks in advance!
Kilwag
frankly, this is the best piece of writing on skateboarding (anywhere) I’ve ever read
You mean besides Skate and Annoy, right?
I tend to look to other subject matters for my heavy reading, as I spend so much time analyzing skateboarding already, albeit in a sarcastic way. I need a break from it, but maybe I will give it another go. I’m glad there are people out there willing to write about it seriously.
Lawson
As a student of urban culture and a passionate skater, I’ve read countless academic articles on skateboarding – you’d actually be surprised just how many there is – most of them have no idea, some are okay, but kinda obvious. And then there’s Ocean Howell’s one – frankly, this is the best piece of writing on skateboarding (anywhere) I’ve ever read, and probably one of the best academic articles too.
For anyone that actually takes the time to properly read through his argument and understand it, it provides probably THE most incisive critique of how (local) governments and corporations fuck up what is a really quite civic activity, skateboarding. His argument isn’t just about modern skatepark design, but about the entire construction of space in relation to skateboarding, and how that is excavated by shitty corporations like Nike and franchises/brands like Tony Hawk.
I seriously commend Howell for this, and implore you guys to read it.
Welsh Pete
Ocean is a good writer. I think sections of his thesis have appeared in Slap and other mags over the years. I was recently fowarded a piece from a Seattle based magazine called ‘Ethics, Place and Environment.’ While its always exciting to have academics and intellctuals study skateboarding. Its not as profound as the kids actually out there doing totally oblivious or uncaring toward the political implications of skateboarding…
Also, they are always a few steps behind. In a few years I think they all be writing about how skaters such as Pontus Alv in Sweden and his crew are modifying the streetscape like crazy (obviously inspired by a movement that started with Burnside) to make the streets more skatable. That’s the future, covert, camoflage DIY skate spots that only skater’s eye can detect while they go ignored by everyone else.
adam
the mystery video is birdhouse feasters i belive
erik railton
Ocean has a one of a kind style.
I always thought of him as an h-street rider.
That was when he had his best video part and
picures in magazines. The Birdhouse era was
when you did see as much footage from him.