Emerging out of the California surfboarding scene of the 40s and 50s, skateboarding enabled those who were forced by less than auspicious ocean waves to placate their need for speed by catching a ride down their closest sidewalk instead.
Poised on a four-wheeled miniature pressed wood deck, these street riders (commonly referred to as sidewalk surfers due to the common maneuvers and stances that echoed their ocean wave moves) could hone their technique and skills when Mother Nature wasn't exactly cooperating.
What was initially just a trend has ended up dominating our global culture, a fact evident in the approximately 18.5 million skateboarders that cruise our streets today.
It also happens to be a $4.8 billion market in which 74% of skaters are of the male persuasion and 85% are under the age of 18.
Surprisingly, the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System has calculated that of the top sports like baseball, football, ice hockey, basketball, soccer and volleyball, those who engage in skateboarding suffer fewer injuries overall.
As for their gear, skaters are nothing without their seven layer 32 inch traditionally wood veneer deck, metal or nylon truck and synthetic rubber polymer wheels (the latter of which are at the present time still too costly to recycle).
Wooden decks rarely ever remain in pristine condition, however, particularly if the owner practices all sorts of gravity defying tricks - in fact, some sources claim that the average lifespan of a typical deck is just a few months!
So, what generally happens to all of this skateboard wreckage? When they're not tossed into a landfill and replaced with newer, cooler versions, innovative minds are hard at work morphing them into some pretty spectacular consumer items.
Or...as Japanese artist Haroshi has done with his "Skate & Destroy" exhibit, multicolor boards are turned into a wildly diverse array of wearable art and museum pieces that any fan of the sport would happily ogle.
Identifying with the sentimental value of these wooden casualties, the artist was inspired by his own ever-growing collection of worn out and downright abused decks to give them an opportunity to live on in infamy.
In an effort to incorporate sustainability into the sport (at the end of a deck's usable life), Haroshi first began making simple household objects and accessories with their wooden remains, which then paved the way for his colorfully quirky and undeniably dynamic Harvest art exhibition.
"As a skater, I want to take responsibility (for) reusing skateboards when they (are) no longer useable. Also, as an artist I want to explore the possibilities of what can be done with skateboards."
There's something about this collection of pieces that is so cheerfully refreshing. It's almost as if in the glow of their new luster, they are proudly proclaiming that someone cared enough to buff and polish them into tip-top shape.
The last thing that any of us need is yet another reminder of the infinite transformability of consumer waste, but if you ever waver and get even the slightest bit tempted to chuck something potentially valuable into your trash can, just scan these photographs of Haroshi's creations one more time.
I don't believe that the term "waste" should be a part of our cultural vocabulary anymore ;)
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