This is a test of the DIY Skatepark Advocacy System. If this were an actual Marginal Way benefit you would be… Oh wait, it is!

Art Show Benefit for Marginal Way Skatepark! Mission in West Seattle Thursday June 12th 8pm 21+

Raffle/DJs/Videos

Silent auction featuring: Tait, Paul Fujita, Q. Quigg, Bruno, LJ, Jesse Edwards, Aaron Filion, Chris Adams, Ego, Roy Wonder, Bobcat, Manbeast, Curtis Alton Jr., Romero Taylor, Eric Holt, Caveman, Leon, Jay Meer, and Lafferty Brothers.

DJs: VerseOmega, Treva, Hightower.

Videos, Footage and Slide Show featuring Jay Meer’s Archive.

Raffle: All the goods! 100% of proceeds goes to Marginal Way Skatepark!

Where: Mission 2325 California Ave. SW Seattle, WA 98116

8pm 21 and over

Expanding on an idea already in practice elsewhere, designer Kris Lovett has made some heeled shoes for women out of used skateboard decks. He/she has put a battle of the sexes spin on it, although the irony of making heeled shoes for women out of the discarded waste of a traditionally male dominated past time surely must have occurred to Kris. I guess they aren’t high heels. Maybe someone will make a corset out of skateboards next.

Used skateboard decks continue to pile up due to the production of over 100,000 decks per month in the United States alone. Reply explores this material waste stream as a resource for women’s shoes. By utilizing the overall shape and material properties found within the deck, the women’s shoe takes on an interesting aesthetic quality. This project is also a reapplication of waste skateboard decks in an unexpected way. By taking a movement-based leisure product mainly utilized by males, a creative method of reuse is reapplied to a movement-based market for Eco-conscious women.

Pictures archived after the jump, but you really should see them at KrisLovett.com. [Source: NOTCOT.org]

There’s this thing called the Urban Circus that has “a contemporary look, it boasts dancing, swaggering, swinging, swaying and skateboarding.” The actual name is 7 Doigts (fingers), and it’s a French Canadian operation that is more or less a poor man’s Cirque De Soleil. Traces is the name of the particular show they are currently putting on. All the press keeps mentioning skateboarding, as if it’s an integral part of the show, but all the photos and various video clips out there suggest it might be more “skateboard-inspired.” But still, everytime something gets written about the show, basketball and skateboards get big billing. Well, I finally found some actual skateboarding. Looks like they are using them as little more than dance props. Extreme!™ I’d rather watch the guy who skates and dances on crutches, aka the Virtual Provocateur.

Colin called me last night to go hit the newly remodeled D.O.S. in Portland but I declined. It’s allergy and dog bites season, and I was under the weather. I prefer to skate concrete over wood, but the nice thing about wood at an indoor skatepark is that after a year or so you can tear it out and put in something new. Speaking of remodeling, the Department has been using a new logo for a while (OK it might be older than I realize…) that is kind of cool. It reminds me of something you might have seen in the late 60’s. Check it out on this flyer for a now passed skate camp.

– thanks to Colin and Heath for the tip.

Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, these skateboards from Greece is for Lovers are not meant to be ridden, they just meant to be marveled at, or puzzled over. Although they appear to sell some items, these skateboards titled Tougher than Leather and Ridden in Stone appear to be more like exercises than actual products. greece is for Lovers is a design studio that likes to dabble in Greece-schtick items, some of them more useful than others, and some of them just amusing. If you want to see the full size versions head on over to Greece is for Lovers from the links above. In the event that they close up shop, there are somewhat smaller versions archived after the jump.

– Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

You too can get Rad for as little as $25.99, literally! Adobe sells the typefaces Rad Regular and Rad Standard. Apparently, Standard regular is worth four bucks more than just plain Regular.

Typeface notes:
John Ritter, Adobe graphic designer, adapted Rad from a skateboard alphabet that he created for a college design assignment. In Rad, he captures the “no rules” spirit of the skateboard scene—one John was rolled up in when he wasn’t busy studying.

How does Rad compare to Skaterdudes and some of the other crap that is floating around?

More useless odds and ends. These guys in Massachusetts do touchy-feely performance art called “Zend” on skateboards inspired by stained glass. And speaking of hippies, the Seattle Times wants you to believe that longboarders have a higher calling. Ryan Sheckler gets nominated for a world wide sportmanship award in the action sports category, but loses to Shaun White. I guess there was no category for crying. An interesting note, a guy with the actual name of “Dick Pound” won the “Spirit of Sport” award for his work with the World Anti-Doping Agency. Sounds like spirit alright. According to the North County Times, Andy Macdonald is not a rebel, and he does have a cause. Do you need money? Why not fake getting hit by a car on your skateboard so your buddies can steal a purse while the driver makes sure you are OK? These kids in Vancouver, Washington did. What’s the next Xtreme!™ sport raging in Orange County? Racing Dodge Chargers on electric skateboards. The article “Not Just Any Old Token” does not refer to Dave Chappelle’s race, even if he is the only non-honky in the photo. Some skateboarders in Queens, New York found some humane remains and called 911, further laying to rest the teenage satanic skateboard worshipers theory. Some people don’t need to read a study to know that hurting yourself skateboarding can cost a lot of money, but some do.

There. I’ve wasted enough of my time, so go waste some of yours.

[Assorted tips – Mark Ward, Mike Estes, Poor Richard]

Threadless is a t-shirt site that has visitors vote on what designs they will sell. My brother spotted this one and sent it my way, I couldn’t find it when I went to the site. I would have voted for it.

There a lot of things people have sent in that I need to get posted. I get tips and reminders now and then when I haven’t followed through. I appreciate the contributions and even the reminders. Keep them coming, they will eventually end up online. But before I get to them, I need to show you these two paintings from Derek Erdman’s Skateboarding Gibbons series.

Yesterday in Portland, Cal Skates sponsored a skate jam as part of the 6th Avenue Street Fair that seemed to be taking place in front of Cal’s and that’s about it. I’m always complaining about a lack of artsy fartsy ramps in the states, but we had some here for sure. The big quarter pipe was covered in tiles on the top third, tiles that continued to break and fly off through the course of the session. It looked like it was giving everyone a bit of trouble, but at the same time they seemed to enjoy the added challenge. Another cool feature were two launch ramps that had been done up rather nicely to make it look like they were split from a cross section of a giant Northwestern tree. Kudos to whoever it was who realized that concept. Well done.