Our friend Tom Miller writes:
Just back from a work trip to Curitiba, Brasil. Conahan asked to shoot photos of anything interesting skate-related. Just when I was thinking I wasn’t going to see anything of note, we arrived at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum. The museum structure is novel, but skaters are going to be more interested in the walkway.
I couldn’t help but think if you call it “art” the dollars come running at you. If you call it “50 feet of mini ramp at Ed Benedict Park” suddenly the budget doesn’t allow for it until the mythological “phase 2.” We don’t need any more skateparks. We need public art that coincidentally accommodates skateboarding.
Nuff said.
Curitiba, Brasil – Click to enlarge.
17 comments
enemy combatant
Does this mean no palm trees at Ed Benedict? 🙁
Tom Miller
I appreciate the following comment may momentarily buzzkill the insatiable joy some find in internet spitballing about curved vs. non-curved concrete, but I’ll make it anyway.
My commentary about the 50 feet of mini ramp New Line has designed for Ed Benedict wasn’t about terrain but about the challenge of finding dollars for skateparks vs. something else. My day job positions me well to see public dollars come and go. And truth be told, art dollars are relatively hard to come by compared to a lot of things. However, the point remains dollars for skateparks remain very close to the bottom of the priority barrel.
It’s not that (Portland’s) elected officials hate skateparks. It’s just not on their radar screen because it’s not part of their own personal experience, and there is not a consistent presence of skaters reminding them constantly that dollars are needed. You can’t blame them.
Now back to your regularly scheduled spitball fight.
jakeandannoy
P.S: I did invent the term and it fully means what I just described. Any other interpretation would be completely wrong.
jakeandannoy
I picture a drunk yet handsomely bearded skateboarder in his late 20’s at the “Elbow Room”,struggling to guide his whiskey soda down his throat via mouth to straw without using any hands. And repeatedly losing to a lack of dexterity…..and impossible odds.
Kilwag
Errr… yeah. I don’t know, I didn’t invent the term.
Hold it, I’m getting a vision… It’s two ten year old kids playing Last Straw. One kid gets mad at the other one, throws a fit and grabs all his straws and goes home.
kookcentral
kilwag when you use the phrase “grasping at straws” what do you envision? A dude about to fall down a bottomless pit actually grasping at straw like grass at the edge of it, or a desperate movie scene where people are forced to draw straws to determine their terrible fate, or is it a random flash of an angry person mindlessly flailing in a bright white empty diner as thousands of flexi-straws rain (in slow-mo) down from nowhere … just wondering.
skatebroke
anyone up to import brasilia and barcelona’s architects to make a super skatepark company? it should be called…visio-accidente
Jaymeericle
I was thinking why not apply for all sculpture art projects but just make them skateboardable and intended (allowed) to function for skateboarders.
I got a couple good idea/water feature & other vortex madness creations.
At least get a skateboarder at every landscape architect firm and other areas to add some more function to those great features we see created everywhere.
Ok maby start that eco-friendly walkways with skateboardable features company..
bla bla bla bla bla bal bla
Hass
Hopefully this link works better
http://tinyurl.com/36nb8q
Hass
I found slappy stairs when I was in Rio.
http://www.ramplocalsonly.com/RampLocalsOnly/Rio_Street.html
Kilwag
Carl, you’ve got the persecution complex, or some sort of personal problem with Tom. You’re really grasping at straws here.
Carl
I can’t help it. Tom made me so sad with his stories of persecution. Won’t skateboarders put the extreme sportsmen first?! We need a local to beat Jake Brown’s record!
Kilwag
Stop mumbling.
Carl
Pretty sure you can get a set of pads to protect those widdow feewings from getting hurt.
cold ones
You’d think for an Oscar Meyer museum they’d have some hot dog related art
Conahan
I wonder how the plaza advocates would feel about a couple hundred feet of miniramp as a skatepark if it were designed like that? I always think of Oscar Neimeyer
Dan Hughes
Ain’t that the truth!