Ian Borden, “Another Pavement another Beach”

Illustration 10.05  “Skateboarder at the South Bank, London, (1996).”

This essay from Ian Borden’s book, Skateboarding, Space and the city, 2001, shows us how skateboarders travel the city and their perspective on it. The essay is written in a strong sense of how skateboarders value and perceive ‘their’ urban environment, how they use senses and space to feel apart of it.

“Transform the world”– all well and good. It is being transformed. But into what? Here, at your feet, is one small but crucial element in that mutation. 1

- Henri Lefebvre

The essay begins with a quote by Henri Lefebvre, which becomes important concept among the whole essay, which is the concept that those who belong in the city are the ones who can change it for the worst or the best, because of their view and presence with it. However he reminds us that it will be unknown, it’s the future, but can still be perceived. 

The idea of the ‘unknown’ comes back, because of this unknown future skateboarders always take risk to achieve a good outcome, which is quite similar to how cities function. So like Borden states they are “challenging of both the form and political mechanics of urban life”(Borden Another Pavement. p.2). In the essay Borden also states how skateboarding consists more of pleasure rather than work, use values rather than exchange values, activity rather than passivity, which are potential components of the future, creating the unknown city (The future). 

“The corporate types see their structures as powerful and strong. I see them as something I can enjoy, something I can manipulate to my advantage.” 2

The city is full of architecture, where some broken stairs or streets are forgotten, like Borden says “they are the left-over spaces of modernist town planning”(Borden Another Pavement. p.7) and holds no meaning but definitely an opportunity for the skateboarders. I believe they see what others do not. They use there senses so they are very much in tune with their surroundings. For example, tourists see the big beautiful towers, specific activity centres as the only way to have fun and disregard the rest, unlike skateboarders they take every part of the city into consideration, and make the most out of the wasted. This makes them feel at one and connected to ‘the object’ (The city).

In addition, another idea Borden is also trying to portray, is ‘Rhythm & Urban Senses’ (Borden Another Pavement. p11) with skateboarding. The rhythm that Borden means is how skateboarders go through obstacles, like a hump on a road then back to the smooth road, the rhythm is object-space-object-space. This also links to my idea of skateboarders are a metaphor for life, we go through hard obstacles that are risks but we take them to have a better solution or outcome, just like skaters. Borden also believes “they redefine the city and its architecture, their own social identity and bodies” (Borden Another Pavement. p21), this is because they redefine objects like stair handrails, which are built for safety and they are using it for the exact opposite. This perhaps shows restoring power to people and that they can do what they please in the urban space they grew up in. Maybe because of this they believe they own the city, giving them power and freedom that they all crave.

“The streets have become politicized”3 

- Henri Lefebvre

On the other hand, others might see this as rude and inconsiderate. Redesigning the architecture they are used to is quite selfish to others point of view, as this disturbs others view on their urban environment and on life. One important fact is skateboarders don’t seek meaning, they do it for the thrill of the moment and the freedom, unlike other people and because of this there is conflict.“skateboarders usually prefer the lack of meaning and symbolism of more everyday spaces” (Borden Another Pavement. p6). However the city is filled with things with symbolism and meaning, just like the quote above states and because of this skateboarders are pushed to the outside (quieter spaces). In part this is to prevent social conflict, and these quieter spaces become the leftover parts of the city were freedom is opened to anyone with creativity and drive. 

Overall, this essay has given me an insight to the skateboarder world and has let me know how they travel through it. This essay is related to my project about walking, as it shows a form of going through an environment. All this comes to the idea of breaking that strict view of life and becoming free. I found this quite relatable the adventurous, artist personality is what all the skaters have and I’m not a skateboarder but I also have that adventurous drive, the want to be free and just live the moment. They want to express and explore through their urban environment, taking risks and seeing how far they can push themselves, which are all aspects that I admire.

References;

Borden Another Pavement.

1        Henri Lefebvre, “Notes on the New Town”, Introduction to Modernity: Twelve Preludes September       1959 - May 1961, (London: Verso, 1995), p. 126.

2        Jesse Neuhaus, quoted in Leah Garchik, “The Urban Landscape”, San Francisco Chronicle, (late summer 1994), posted on DansWORLD internet site, URL  http://web.cps.msu.edu/~dunhamda/dw/dansworld.html, (accessed March 1995).

3        Henri Lefebvre, The Explosion: Marxism and the French Revolution, (New York: Monthly Review, 1969), pp. 71-2.