Censorship is Weak as F##k: A Skateboard Art Retrospective:

Censorship is Weak as F##k is a collaborative retrospective featuring over 40 skateboard graphics designed by Marc McKee and Sean Cliver. The show features work the two have done for World Industries and its subsidiary brands from the formation of the company in the late 1980s to its mid-90s rise to industry dominance. The collection of original skateboards demonstrates, literally in graphic detail, how World Industries set itself apart from its competitors by using a totally uncensored approach in its graphic program, relentlessly featuring one controversial subject after another, covering issues such as religion, pornography, gun control, sex, profanity, racism, drug use and violation of copyright law, all on the bottoms of its skateboards.

Trying to pass off that entire period of World Industries as a battle against censorship is a bit of a stretch, but they certainly were infamous, and they certainly did shake up the industry. Besides, with the way these things sell on eBay, this may be your only chance to see some of these decks in person. I’ll tell you what’s weak as F##k… There’s nothing like having to register and log into a bullshit corporate site like MySpace just to be able look at a few pictures. Surely there is a better way. Looks like an art show I’d like to see though.

[Source: Juxtapoz]

Dave Tobin sent me a picture to tie in with the Israeli energy bar commercial that has skateboarding in it. It’s some very skateable architecture by David Resnick designed as a memorial for John F. Kennedy outside of Jerusalem, Israel. I had a hard time finding pictures of the “Jerusalem Kennedy Memorial” online, but if you type in “Yad Kennedy” you get better results. Must be hebrew. Still, there’s not a whole lot of information available on this site. The monument was built in 1966 with funds donated by Jewish communities in the USA. Would this be called street skating even though it has tranny?

In the U.S. we don’t seem to get our fair share of skateable art installations like they do in the U.K. with The Side Effects of Urethane or with Drum and Basin. Well we got another one finally, but it’s still European at it’s roots. Team Pain sent in this shot of the installation they built for an event called Art Basel Miami. Art Basel Miami is the U.S. leg of what amounts to a massive art fair of sorts for the serious art buying world, and not the arts & crafts you might normally associate with U.S. outdoor arts festivals. The main event originated and still takes place in in Basel Switzerland. Miami’s satellite this year includes the “Concrete Waves: Homage to Skate Culture” installation. According to the Miami Sun Post:

There was a time in the late ’70s and early ’80s with all the skaters and artists doing graffiti, and we wanted to do this again in Miami Beach,” Art Basel spokesman Peter Vetsch said. “At the beginning, graffiti and skate culture weren’t art, but the art scene adopted them.

Sure, it’s a bit odd that an installation titled Concrete Waves (No relation) is made out of wood, but it looks nice anyway. You have to assume the benches on the flat are just there to keep the local skaters off when the demo isn’t going. Of course the event ended on December 7th, so don’t bother trying to sneak in a session. I wonder what lucky party will get to keep the ramp.

UPDATE: Added video of the event after the jump.

A certain someone I know loves those ridiculously tacky nature shirts with airbrush styled wolves and eagles and bears. He’s been known to frequent many a skate spot wearing a shirt covered in similarly styled killer whales frolicking all over it. Some one at Element either shares his sense of humor or has the same bad taste. They have collaborated with The Mountain on a series skateboards and t-shirts. Seriously? I mean is this a goof or what? What’s next, a collaboration with the guys who make… I don’t know, “No Fear” t-shirts? See if you can make sense of this.

Skateboarding Bet is a short stop action animation made with Legos that look like they came from my set I had as a kid, considering you can get fancy skatepark Lego sets these days. It’s short. It’s here. You might as well watch it. You’re just here wasting time while at work, right?

Frank 151 has collaborated with French luxury leather goods craftsman and designer Jacques Ferrand to release limited edition ostrich and crocodile skin skateboard decks with the Frank151 brand. I’m going to call bullshit on these, and I’m going to do it smugly while sitting at a desk wearing leather tennis shoes. What’s next, Snow Leopard decks just so you can show off your bling? How shallow can you get?

90’s teenager culture meets the classic french elegance!

Lame. Lame. Lame. Very lame. Thanks to JF for the tip.

Another webcomic that references skateboarding. I like scooter-brat and mullet-guy in the background. I’m thinking maybe the guy skates? Imagine, wearing costumes to the skatepark for an art project.

I went to art school. Best five years of my life… But none of this silliness. No sirree. It was all business. Not like Matt Cheney, action artist. He makes art while doing things like skateboarding and skydiving. He’s even used his skateboard as a brush. Now that’s putting your parents’ tuition money to good use!

[Source: John Bakos]

Dan Garland has been awarded the commission for art for the Ed Benedict skate plaza. Dan is a skater as well as an artist: Here is how he describes the project:

Basically, I wanted to create an installation that speaks to the interface between man and nature and point towards balance as a solution. I wanted to create something using the bold, iconic visual language that is such a part of the skate culture and give skaters something fun to skate but also pique their interest in what this giant symbol stood for. To have an element of discovery that can play out in skaters interaction with the plaza as many of them will spend so much time there.

Design Within Reach is a catalog and store that sells “modern” furniture and household doodads that look cool and are often kind of expensive, but less so than typical modern furniture that you don’t buy from Ikea. Bottega Montana has produced an edition of 57 boards in collaboration with Design Within Reach. As far as I can tell, the collaboration consists of wood burning the DWR logo on the deck. If the name Bottega Montana sounds familiar, it might be because we covered another collaboration they did last year. These decks will actually be available for purchase in select Design Within Reach stores. What will they cost? Get ready to spend at least $400, judging by their current catalog. Think of them as family heirloom skateboards. They also reportedly have a Shepard Farey short board collaboration in the works. Update: Available online and priced at a whopping $798, down from $1000! See DWR