Skateability and public art - a guide for incorporating skateboarding into public art

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Volume Title

School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis
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Authors

Date

2023

Department

muo

Major/Subject

Mcode

Degree programme

Master’s Programme in Contemporary Design

Language

en

Pages

40 + 13

Series

Abstract

Skating is happening on public art. Sometimes it is intended and sometimes it is not intended by the artists and planners, but if the art piece affords skating, it has a high chance to end up being skated on. This thesis explains what it actually is that makes a piece of public art so inviting for skaters. By explaining the basics of skateboard tricks, shapes that the skaters use to perform tricks, materials that withstand skating, and what to consider when planning the location of skateable public art, this thesis gives a comprehensive understanding for commissioning and designing skateable public art. To gain understanding of different demographics opinions about skateboarding, public art, and public space, I conducted several semi-structured interviews. People who were interviewed consisted of skaters, non-skaters, landscape architect and an artist working with skateable sculptures. For gaining better understanding of the skateability of public art, I conducted several case studies on public art pieces. Art pieces were also being differentiated by ones that are made for skating and ones that are not. Skating the pedestal of the artworks was also discussed as being an opportunity to introduce skating into the artwork without compromising the shape of the artwork. At the end of the thesis, I showcase my proposal for what skateable public art could be and concludes by summarizing the different aspects that make public art skateable, and what are the consequences inviting skaters to the space.

Description

Supervisor

Lohmann, Julia

Thesis advisor

Lohmann, Julia

Keywords

skateboarding, skateability, public art, sculptures, public space, cityscape

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Citation

Permanent link to this item

https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:aalto-202309035402

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[master] Taiteiden ja suunnittelun korkeakoulu / ARTS