Off Board || Issue 01

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OFF.BOARD ISSUE 01 // JUNE 2013

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// CONTRIBUTORS

& // EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Emily Clay

// PHOTOGRAPHERS Tom Quigley Hakon Broder Lund Rob Antill

//VIDEOGRAPHERS Neil Turner James Gould Laurie Carew Dan Mullan

// FEATURES Kris Vile Alex Fowkes Tom Quigley Matt Arrowsmith Sam Baldwin

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Profile No.1

KRIS VILE & THE PURSUIT OF SUCCESS Interview / Emily Clay Photography / Tom Quigley

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At the tender age of thirteen Kris Vile received his first ever, free deck from his local skate store, eleven years later and he’s never looked back. Boasting a sponsored record of over ten years as a professional skateboarder, with the likes of multi-million companies Vans and Volcom gracing his CV, Vile most certainly lives life to the fullest. Birmingham may be his home town but this Brummie is no stranger to traveling and has recently become more of a myth than a real person. Nevertheless, we managed to track him down and spend the day discovering the finest street spots in Nottingham as he tells us about where it all began.

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“SKATEBOARDING WAS SOMETHING I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH, SO IT WAS INTRIGUING TO ME.”

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What inspired you to start skateboarding?

Well it all began for me when I was about 10 years old.

For some reason, still unknown to me, my brother asked for a skateboard for his 12th birthday, it wasn’t something that I had ever heard of. Being a fairly normal kid I’d say, playing football and other activities, skateboarding was something I was unfamiliar with, so it was intriguing to me. After about 5 months of my brother having a skateboard and riding it with his friend from school on the corner of our road, I decided to ask for a go after watching them skate there on many occasions. To my surprise I managed to do a little ‘ollie’ in a short amount of time. Christmas was coming near and I asked for a skateboard, I was so eager to use it that my mum let me have it before Christmas day. Thirteen years down the line and my love for skating never ceases to grow.

What’s your earliest memory of the sport?

I think my earliest memory would be the first skate video I watched which was a birdhouse video called “The End”, released in 1998. It was then re-released in the year that I bought it, 2001. People like Andrew Reynolds and Rick Mcrank, still among my favourite skaters to this day and inspiration over the last 13 years.

What do you consider to be the most memorable experience of your career so far?

I think maybe going out to New Zealand and Australia for the first time and really falling in love with the place. The people and the scenery all come hand in hand with the chilled out atmosphere of the place. Accompanied by really good skate spots/ parks, a fantastic skate scene and the approach to skateboarding itself. I went on to visit both countries several times over the last 4/5 years of my life and intend to go many more.

How important is it to look the part when skateboarding?

As with any profession, looking the part is also important in skateboarding! There’s many different styles but some of them have been made much more popular over the year’s like slightly jacked up trousers and white socks with the flare of a low cut necked t-shirt. This look has become very popular, similar to the style of the fix gear craze that came about in recent years. I believe that how you look should be more important to you, than the opinion of others. It’s about providing a confidence and a general positive feeling about yourself. I think that subconsciously your appearance and performance are tied together.

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How would you define your style?

Do you have a favourite brand?

I like to wear things of a certain cut or fit. I like trousers to fit me well, slim but not tight and they have to have elastic in them to be able to skate; if there’s no stretch then I cant deal with it, it’s an important part when skating to have comfort and maneuver ability in your clothes.

I’m not sure if I have one favourite, there’s too many to chose from! I admire “flip skateboards”, they released a series of videos between 2002 and 2009 named “Sorry”, “Really Sorry” and “Extremely Sorry” that documented their story.

I’ve also always liked Enjoi skateboards as well, they have a great variety of skateboarding talents and always seem to be having fun with projects they do. The more local skateboarding scene has so many up and coming companies that have a good style and general vibe that allow many of the underground talents in England and the rest of Europe to get in the public eye.

What’s your favourite item in your wardrobe?

I’d have to say I’m fond of a nice shirt, I have favourites but generally I could wear a white t-shirt and a different shirt every day; plaid, plain, colourful or cotton, I like them all! I’m the same with hats as well; I wear a different hat most days, alternating my favourites.

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With being sponsored by Vans and Volcom, are you ever asked to wear things you wouldn’t normally?

Volcom have always had a fairly good system, we order form the catalogues online and have a budget to order with, so I can really pick and choose the style, colour and fit of the clothes.

Vans send big boxes of shoes with all kinds of styles and new colour ways, and of course if I really like something I’ll ask for it! So it’s rare that I have to wear something that I’m not too keen on, you normally end up liking it in the end anyway!!

Does the requirement to represent a brand ever get in the way of the sport itself ?

I don’t think it does at all, it’s one of those things. Skateboarding isn’t viewed as a general sport and by some not viewed as a sport at all. A lot of people think it comes under a different bracket, possibly a performing art as such.

The influence from sponsors should always be a good one, obviously you can be involved in projects that you might not think benefit skateboarding but that’s’ not all it’s about.

Some things are just doing something new, to take skateboarding out of its element and come up with exciting and different situations to skate in.

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Do you think skateboard fashion has changed over recent years?

For as long as I can remember, skateboarding has always been viewed as a child’s things to do. In America where skateboarding originated from the surf scene, skateboarders were more commonly viewed as hippies and surfers, all just stereotypes given by those with a lack of understanding. In more recent years skateboarding has become much more fashionable; besides going through the occasional ups and downs its now taken a larger step into the fashion industry itself, with skateboarders getting sponsored by more high street brands.

What do you do when you’re not skateboarding?

If I’m honest I’ve spent the last thirteen or so years of my life skating so a lot of what I know and have learnt is through the eyes of a skateboarder. When I’m not skating I’m enjoying good food, as I like making it as much as I like eating it! I want to learn to play an instrument so that can be something I spend time doing, but in the end all I do is bide my time till I can go skating again!

What projects are you working on right now and what are your plans for the future?

I’m currently taking part in a few filming projects that are due to come out over the course of the year. I’m also looking for a board sponsor at the moment so I’m spending time getting myself out there as much as possible.

I feel as though I’ve had a new lease of life in the last year or two, and my skating has benefited from it no end. In a way, I feel like I’ve broken through some kind of mental and physical barrier and can keep improving and progressing in a different way.

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“A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK IT COMES UNDER A DIFFERENT BRACKET, POSSIBLY A PERFORMING ART AS SUCH.”

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// WORDS TO LIVE BY “FIND LOVE, TRAVEL WIDE, DISCOVER YOURSELF, LIVE.”

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Profile No.2

ALEX FOWKES & THE BLURRING OF INTERESTS Interview / Emily Clay Photography / Rob Antill

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Graduating from Nottingham Trent University in 2010 with a First-Class honours degree in Graphic Design, Creative Review’s ”One to Watch” 2011 winner is most certainly not afraid of hard work. Now a London-based Graphic Designer, Alex Fowkes designs for clients such as Sony and Tommy Hilfiger whilst his first love competes for his time. Fowkes tells us about how skateboarding (and snowboarding) continue to influence his life in more ways than one.

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What inspired you to start skateboarding?

I used to have a friend I played badminton with!

We used to play for county as doubles, he started skateboarding when they built a park in his town, we both decided to do that instead. Never looked back since, I think I was about thirteen when my mum got me my first board in Newquay. I’m twenty-five now, that’s like twelve years?!

What’s your earliest memory of the sport?

Er probably when my mum got me my first deck, then I met a guy in Cornwall who taught me ‘Heelflips’ and ‘Pop-shuvit’s’. He must’ve hated me, he was way older and I was just a little annoying kid asking him how to do new tricks all the time.

You snowboard as well, is there a favourite?

The older I get the more I love snowboarding.

Skateboarding is amazing and will always be my first love but it’s such a demanding sport. You have to be on your board every day to progress to any sort of high level. Nowadays I’m quite happy to just cruise around with my bag of tricks and just learn a few new ones every month or so, just take it easy. I appreciate the environment snowboarding naturally has with it which just makes it that much more amazing.

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“BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING THAT SCARES ME.”

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Three reasons you do it.?

One, creative freedom & expression.

Two, escape from stress.

Three, learning and that feeling of pushing yourself.

Four, because it’s something that scares me. (Have an extra one on me)

5) What are the main the differences between them?

Feeling wise snowboarding is much more like wakeboarding/surfing with edges and a flat bottom, it’s so much faster too. Skateboarding is much more technical and requires so much more concentration.

The culture I think is pretty much the same, I’ve met lots of great skateboarders who are great snowboarders too. After all, when it’s the summer you can’t snowboard and when it’s winter you can’t skateboard!

How would you define your (fashion) style?

Erm I’m not really sure, I still wear jeans, tees and hoody’s. All my snowboarding gear is ridiculously tall.

I tend to skate in a semi baggy tee with tight jeans.

That style tends to fall into my regular clothes. Fashion is something I don’t really concentrate on that much to be honest.

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What do you do when you’re not skateboarding?

Design and Illustration is what I do professionally. I work for myself, from my bedroom still at the moment but I’m looking for my own studio once I work out where (in the world) I want to lay my hat for a little bit.

As a graphic designer, what inspires you?

Working and being sponsored by Rollersnakes during my teens, I used to get exposed to a lot of deck and clothing graphics. I think that really inspired me to do illustration.

Design and typography came after that when I started to study graphic design at university. There’s so much inspiration around its hard to pinpoint it. Currently I love old vintage type layouts and packaging but so does everyone else!

Do you find your passion for skate and snowboarding can influence your lifestyle?

It massively influences my lifestyle. At lunch when I’m not working I tend to go out for a skate. All of my best friends used to skate and snowboard or still do. I think that’s why you create such a strong friendship with these people. It’s not really a shared interest, it’s a shared passion which is so much stronger. I don’t think it influences my work as much anymore as everything is so varied but it is my life goal to do a skateboard or snowboard graphic for a big company.

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What projects are you working on right now and what are your plans for the future?

I’ve just finished a big print campaign for Fila in Japan. I’m working on a typography book I’m authoring and designing, even doing an interior typography piece for a certain A-List celebrity (which is a massive rarity for a graphic designers!) I’m always doing on going work for Sony Music in the international scene, which is amazing. In fact, the past year has been pretty special.

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// WORDS TO LIVE BY “WHAT HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED TODAY?”

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Profile No.3

TOM QUIGLEY & THE EYE OF SKATE Interview / Emily Clay Photography / Tom Quigley

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Born and raised in Nottingham, Tom has made it his mission to capture, document and spread the word of his home town’s skate scene through an independently created photo-zine, Varial. As a skateboard photographer himself, Tom collaborates with local talent both in front of and behind the lens to help put together this collectable print that can be found in and around Nottingham boutiques. Taking time out from his beloved camera, Tom talks to us about how his combined love of photography and skate initiated the existence of Varial.

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What is it that draws you to pick up your camera and take a photo?

I think most people need some kind of creative outlet, and photography is mine. I go out shooting as much as possible so that I’m constantly improving my work, and simply because getting shots with skaters is just a very enjoyable and rewarding process. Skateboarding is such an unnatural yet beautiful act that I think there’s a natural desire to want to document it. I first got into photography because I was a kid skateboarding with friends and wanted to capture the action of what we were doing.

As a photographer, who or what inspires you when taking pictures?

Other skate photographers have always shown what is possible in terms of approaching skateboarding visually – and their photos in magazines, going right back to the 60s, have been one of the most important contributions to the growth of skateboarding. Early inspiration for me came from veterans of the 70s skateboarding boom such as Glen E. Friedman, Craig Stecyk & Warren Bolster over in America, as well as contemporary photographers working today such as Percy Dean, Sam Ashley, Leo Sharp, Andy Horsley & Chris Johnson – the guys behind the UK’s main skateboarding magazines Sidewalk and until its recent demise, Document. Our country’s skate scene is gritty and grey, so seeing how these guys shoot it is always a great source of inspiration when American photos do little more than remind you that their climate is infinitely better than ours! Often the skaters themselves will be the inspiration for a particular shot, as seeing how they hit a spot or the way they move around a park gives you an idea of their abilities, and from that you can visualize how a photo could look and where you need to be shooting from to achieve it.

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How did Varial zine come about?

I wanted to collaborate with all the great skate photographers shooting in Nottingham - originally I’d thought about organising a group exhibition to bring all the various different imagery of our city’s skateboarding scene together, but it turned out to be easier to make it a project where putting out the work in printed form would be the goal.

There’s a feeling at the moment that there is more value in discovering images in something printed that you can hold in your hands and flick through, rather than just seeing them on the internet almost straight after they were shot. A recent surge of independent zines has shown that more people are gaining an appreciation for the preinternet days when waiting for a new publication was the only way to see new skate photography.

So with this, and inspiration from magazines such as 43, Grey & North – I decided to create something new and contribute to the local scene, as well as simply putting out a publication that I would want to read. It also gave me a chance to help other photographers get their work seen, not to mention getting some of my own images out there.

Starting a Zine isn’t cheap. What resources did you use to start Varial?

My overdraft! The only real costs for getting the first issue done was the printing, which I took care of just to get it out there. I’m currently looking at selling ad space to local skate companies to fund future issues.

If there was anywhere in the world you could shoot that you’ve not been where would it be?

Anywhere I haven’t been before, which is almost everywhere! America, Australia – somewhere with architecture and environments that differ from the inner-city British spots/parks that I’ve gotten so used to.

Somewhere that would take me out of my comfort zone, challenge me to shoot a little differently and have better weather!

How would you say skateboarding photography is different from general photography?

Well it has its own traits and techniques; much like any niche form of photography will I guess. Knowing where to place the skater in your composition, when to take the shot for certain tricks and how to make the most of a particular obstacle or environment are some of the things a newcomer to skate photography may not be aware of. But I’m not experienced enough to be sat here explaining what skate photography is! Let’s just say there’s a lot more to it than point and shoot.

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Is there someone specific you’d like to work/ collaborate with?

No-one specific at the moment - meeting new skaters I’ve not shot with before is always nice, to get a bit of variety and capture people’s different styles of skating. I recently met the guys behind Iron Column skateboards, which is a Nottingham-based company – and got some shots with them and their team. Naturally I’d like to see local companies do well so getting photos for them is good.

There are various other skate photographers around the country that I’d love to have involved in a project like Varial, it’s great to be able to bring together artists who are capturing the same subject but in different ways.

How important is it to make your work stand out in today’s photography industry?

As important as trying to be noticed in any creative industry – there are plenty of people doing the same as you so you need to be hitting the highest standards with your work and hopefully showing your unique style or vision – giving potential clients a reason to choose your images over someone else’s. Skateboarding is still a pretty niche area of photography in the grand scheme of things though, I imagine it’s a much bigger challenge trying to get noticed if you shoot portraiture or fashion, for example.

The downside being, however, that there isn’t a huge wealth of skate publications and companies about, at least not here in the UK – so there isn’t a huge list of potential clients in skateboarding. If you’re shooting at a good enough standard, the crux of getting skateboard photography noticed will often be who the picture is of – unfortunately, like most industries, it’s about who you know!

What do you do when not taking photos?

Aside from the day job – I watch a lot of films, spend time planning the next big project, and actually do some rolling around on my skateboard!

What projects are you working on right now and what are your plans for the future?

I’m putting together the second issue of Varial, and looking at ways to fund that whilst keeping it a free magazine. I’ve also been shooting with a couple of old 35mm film cameras recently, so once I get my films developed I want to put some of the images from those together in a publication of some sort, a one off zine or something. Aside from that I just want to get out and shoot more, and see as much sunshine as possible when summer finally gets here!

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// WORDS TO LIVE BY “BE CRITICAL OF YOUR OWN WORK”

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O/B

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