January 5, 2011

A Lamination's Lament

The circle of life can be a beautiful and ironic thing, and nobody knows this better than Haroshi. Okay, a few people may know it better, but none so when speaking about the circle of life of skateboard decks.

In theory, a skateboard is made of recycled material. Material harvested from the Earth, and with pressure and glues, transformed into its recognizable shape -- reincarnation one. The skateboard lives its abused life and dies at the foot of its master. Here enters Haroshi. The artist picks up the pieces and breathes life back into the material, reanimating it into various, completely different yet equally recognizable shapes -- reincarnation two. But the new life transcends the material world. Through its transformation, it has become more than an object, it has become a symbol, a thought, a constant evolution, thus allowing for immortality. Reincarnation three. One man's trash is another man's soul, and one's skateboard deck is another's Nike Dunk.