果冻影院

is a community-based research project commissioned by 果冻影院鈥檚 Public Art Programme which aims to propose designs for permanent 鈥榮kateable鈥� architecture within the new 果冻影院 East campus in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.聽

Through co-creation with local artists and skaters and with an emphasis on making these skateboarding spaces accessible for all, the project aims to democratise the street and involve local creative communities in making 果冻影院 East a great public space.聽

During the 2020 lockdown, after a series of pilot workshops, DIY model-making kits were sent to interested participants in the local community so that they could design their own 鈥榮kate dots鈥�.

The idea of a 鈥榮kate dot鈥� is that it is a feature of the built environment that is 鈥榮kateable鈥�, while a non-skater may not even notice its use for skateboarding. These 鈥榙ots鈥� can form a path through the 果冻影院 East campus, like a sculpture trail or nature walk.聽

The DIY kits were used to create some fantastic and creative concept designs for potential skate dots, which can be seen in the .

Prof Iain Borden, Professor of Architecture & Urban Culture and Vice-Dean of Education at the Bartlett, 果冻影院, is the world鈥檚 leading academic on skateboarding and its politics, and a skater himself. He played a key role in the inception of City Mill Skate by advocating for a more progressive and inclusive public space surrounding 果冻影院 East鈥檚 buildings through encouraging the skateboarding community onto campus.

Iain, who published a book, 聽(Bloomsbury) in 2019, believes the City Mill Skate project is particularly novel and exciting because of its method of 鈥渃o-production or co-design of what a skateboarding space might be鈥�; this type of engagement with the local community is a substantial shift from traditional public consultations.

In addition, attracting the skateboarding community to a public space can result in a greater diversity in people using the space. Due to low costs, the lack of requirements for organisation as with team sports, and frequent links with other creative communities, skateboarding can involve people from a great variety of backgrounds.

Iain says that 鈥渢here is a sense of 果冻影院 leading the way in thinking about how urban space is configured鈥�, which is a challenge for both skateboarding and urban planning more generally. As such, he argues that initiatives such as City Mill Skate are important for cities in thinking about what creates inclusive, welcoming, and diverse public spaces.

The City Mill Skate project is led by , Senior Lecturer in Education, Head of MA Arts and Learning programme at Goldsmiths, and Sam Griffin, who is an artist, writer and researcher, and 果冻影院 alumnus.聽

In their , Esther, Sam and Iain will explore the relevance of City Mill Skate to skateboarding, public space and urban design worldwide, in what is sure to be a fascinating discussion. The Lunch Hour Lecture will be at 13:00 on Tuesday 15 June 2021.