#folding dogears

[gentrigger]

My dad used to be a skater and the hobby was passed down to me. He'd collect skateboards and we'd both set them up and ride them. From the perspective of the usual sort of collector this might seem harrowing. It's like saying I open up collectible figures and play with them by throwing them down stairs as a kid would.

There's a concept I learned from that though, that was reinforced by a book called Disposable : A History of Skateboard Art. It's the idea that art can be disposable. A skateboard is scratched, scraped, chipped, and one day breaks. To apply art to that sort of item gives it an initial character. It's a canvas that you express yourself on by not only getting a deck that has art that speaks to you, but also by expressing yourself physically on it by riding.

Stickers, pins, charms, patches, clothing, books, they all wear down as they're used, and that sort of use applies an earnest sort of love to them.