Skateparks: Trace and Culture

This collection of photographs is part of my ongoing practice based research for my Doctorate of Creative Arts, Skateparks: Trace and Culture. From Paris to Coober Pedy, Barcelona to Batemans Bay, I have visited and photographed over one hundred skateparks in Australia, Asia and Europe. Whilst my early photographs sought to understand the significance of the design of skateparks in general, a light bulb moment occurred when I discovered recurring visual traces—from site to site, country to country, hidden amongst the landscape of the skatepark. Since then, my attention has focused on exploring and interpreting these visual traces, and the embedded narratives that speak of creativity, nurture and defiance, and the complex relationships that exist both with and within these spaces. From the inane to the deeply personal, this work demonstrates the important role that the skatepark plays in youth culture, and the ways in which the documented skateparks have been re-coded by individuals and groups