Vexed presents its first digital exhibition, portrait of the painter (wip title) by Preston Taylor (link in bio). ⠀
⠀
Preston is a great friend I met skateboarding in Brooklyn and who now lives in Scotland, completing his MA in Contemporary Art Theory at the University of Edinburgh. During a year of sharing a studio with Preston I began to notice many things. Small sketches and quotes held by blue tape would populate the walls like invasive but organized weeds. Paintings would end up on found objects from the street, painting on anything that could be gessoed. His brushes soaked in a year’s supply of murky linseed oil would tower over mounds of dried paint with a dollop of fresh titanium white or Viridian on top. His messy go with the flow practice seemed to contradict his more organized personality and passion for theory and critique. ⠀
⠀
This informal exhibition shows a few of his paintings, but its centerpiece is his writing, a short journal entry of sorts. The entire experience gives a sense of what it might be like to walk into his studio and start picking through his things. You may realize his practice is almost a battle with himself, a circular and satirical discussion of the work itself.⠀
⠀
This circular, self-facing art is both vulnerable and infuriating. In this journal entry he perfectly captures that familiar feeling of looking at contemporary art. We romanticize these things, fetishize them, but every once in a while a feeling of “what the fuck is this?” creeps in.⠀
⠀
-Segal⠀
⠀
𝘋𝘖𝘕𝘌 𝘔𝘠 𝘉𝘌𝘚𝘛, another Vexed street-ski video, is out now! (link in bio) Filmed over the last few years, it’s a short follow-up to the “work life” themes of our last video, 𝘔𝘜𝘚𝘛 𝘉𝘌 𝘜𝘙𝘎𝘌𝘕𝘛 (2023). Yeah, it probably won’t top that one, but we did what we could. The new piece was filmed in and around Salt Lake City, on a quick trip to Butte, MT, and at an abandoned waterpark.
At the time, I had no idea what the story of the waterpark was. Some research and found footage later, it became a point of fascination. Casey and I have been exploring how spaces evolve, especially through skate urbanism, and wanted to bring a bit of that thinking into this project. The park, once full of energy and laughter, now sits derelict, but comes back to life through skiing and friends. Street riders have a way of breathing movement, energy, and new meaning into seemingly monotonous spaces, far beyond their design intent. It’s a strange phenomenon we’ll be digging into more through ongoing snow urbanism research. If any of this interests you, reach out.
Otherwise, check out the new video: link in bio or in the Screening Room on our website, 𝘝𝘌𝘟𝘌𝘋𝘊𝘖𝘓𝘓𝘌𝘊𝘛𝘐𝘝𝘌.𝘊𝘖𝘔 (best viewed on desktop). Hope you enjoy, we had fun making it.
- Bert
Gowanus, Brooklyn is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in New York City and has been in contention for hundreds of years. Gowanus Canal, or Gowanus Creek, was originally the land of the Canarsee branch of the Lenape people and was then colonized by the Dutch, transforming the creek into farms and mills in 1630. The man-made canal we know today was finished in 1869, becoming the United States’ busiest commercial canal by World War I.⠀
⠀
⠀
During the turn of the century, concerns over its toxicity grew until the EPA declared the Gowanus Canal a Superfund site in 2010. The cleanup goal is set to finish in 2030, de-industrializing the space and replacing it with luxury apartment developments. With the space again in contention for new financial interests, I focus on how skateboarders disregard the intended programming of space and resourcefully re-imagine it for their benefit. Skateboarding inadvertently demonstrates how informal spatial practices can contest entrenched capital power.⠀
⠀
⠀
I am excited to keep sharing the process of this research project with you all. Catch you next month.⠀
⠀
-Segal (P.S thank you to NYC Municipal Archives)
Since the mid-1980s, the Brooklyn Banks has been a hub for skaters from around the world. Originally built for flood prevention, the long brick wave was reinterpreted by skateboarders for its variety of rideable features and its iconic red brick pavement.
When I visited, it felt like a comfortable refuge on a hot day. Skaters of all levels were present: professionals filming, kids rolling around, tourists stopping to watch. The sharp lines of the overpass shadows framed parts of the Banks and the surrounding views. I snapped this shot of Segal in front of New York City Hall, which feels like a fitting metaphor for the civic advocacy that brought this skatespace back to life.
The space on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge has served many uses over the years. In the early 1900s, it served as a cool, shaded area where wine merchants gathered beneath the massive stone structure. More recently, in 2010, construction on the bridge was expected to close the Banks for only a few years, but the closure extended indefinitely as the area became a fenced parking lot for city vehicles.
While the city may not have recognized this space as a cultural and community asset, Gotham Park, a nonprofit group of civic activists, led a push for its reopening in 2020 with strong support from the skate community. By 2024, the Banks was officially reopened as an approved skateboarding area. Importantly, this was not the construction of a skatepark but rather a series of careful repairs and small adjustments that preserved the site’s character and allowed skaters to continue reinterpreting the iconic infrastructure.
-Bert
The 5th and Hoyt project is the first build in our new effort to directly engage with the new wave of skate urbanism. It is our first ramp of a larger ongoing project that we are calling the Chameleon Ramps. Unlike DIY skate builds, usually made from concrete, the Chameleon Ramps are meant to be unobtrusive, limit damage to public infrastructure, and visually blend into the urban context. The goal isn’t to pose a new alternative to DIY skateboard obstacle building; rather, it’s meant to be a counter-monument to defensive design and privatization of public space in the United States, striking conversation about the deeper systemic players that hinder the inhabitation of space.⠀
⠀
⠀
-Segal⠀
⠀
I visited New York earlier this summer to spend time with Segal and work on some new Vexed projects. Having been once before, I was less startled by the intensity and felt more observant of the people and spaces in the city.⠀
⠀
I was mostly interested in how the public spaces are so heavily used, worn down, and built for sheer utility. Milk crates are used as sidewalk displays, manhole covers are worn from constant traffic, and concrete ramps are poured in quick, uneven ways to allow dolly access into bodegas. The character of utility defines New York’s built environment. ⠀
⠀
While many pockets of the city embody this “utility as form,” it was striking to explore areas around the Gowanus Canal where industrious activities still take place, and have scarred the area both physically and socially. The Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn was completed in 1850, built to wash away the byproducts of industrial meat production, and became so polluted that it was designated a Superfund site in 2010. After the city rezoned the area and cleanup was initiated, real estate developers began building canal-adjacent luxury apartments to become a “lively” neighborhood, marketing it as the “Copenhagen of NYC.”⠀
⠀
The area surrounding Gowanus has become a key character for our initial research project due to its relevance in depicting development culture in the US. We explored the construction sites for materials to build a skate ramp, as part of our next project. I began to wonder about a core concept of our research: who really defines this neighborhood, those who market it, or those who inhabit it? In Copenhagen, there is immense inclusivity for all types of users, including skaters, to engage with new developments. Will this be the same in the “Copenhagen of NYC?” ⠀
⠀
-Bert⠀
The summer of 2024 began when I met a group of local skaters at 51 Skatepark in Park Slope, Brooklyn. What always fascinates me about locals is the way they develop unique skate routines through years of repetition and discovery. One of my favorite moments appears in the opening shot of this park edit, where three skaters perform their go to tricks simultaneously on the same feature, creating a snapshot of the park’s wide range of styles and personalities. This moment showcases the unique characteristic of skateboarding as a personal exploration of urban space.⠀
⠀
⠀
When applying it to city infrastructure, you begin to unlock the full potential of skateboarding as an urbanist practice, allowing for an unlimited potential for somatic exploration. Skate films accentuate these moments into more digestible thematic sequences and catalogs. Even the four-minute short edit “In Silver Tin” that we filmed over the summer ended up taking 25 days to film. Being immersed in the city forces the participants to look deeper at the details of the city: the different textures of concrete, the geometry of ordinary city infrastructure, and the rhythms of traffic and pedestrians.⠀
⠀
⠀
As winter approached, the project shifted into editing. I’d gather with Savion and Preston around the computer, each of us dissecting the footage moment by moment. This collaborative process fuses the line between skater and filmmaker, weaving the two together in a deeper way. We would study the clips, rearranging them to create new patterns that exaggerate our interpretations of the city’s framework. This bond between skaters, urban infrastructure and the filmmaking process has become deeply loved since it emerged in popularity in the 1980s.⠀
⠀
⠀
The complexities of skate-urbanism are an interesting topic, and we would love to start conversation with others who have similar interests. We also have a collection of related reading materials we can share via Google Drive. Please reach out, and thanks for sticking around.⠀
⠀
-Segal⠀
⠀
⠀
P.S - You can watch the full edits on our YouTube channel linked in our bio. ⠀
⠀
Join us for a 21+ 🍻 film screening presented by Vexed Co on November 7th at Brewvies in Salt Lake City.
The screening will feature a diverse range of films including experimental, documentary, and action-sports. Come join us for some drinks and films.
All ticket holders to this event will receive perks to our following event. More information soon. 🤫
This event is in collaboration with Artist Foundry and supports underground art and film. All profits go back to the filmmakers and artists who have allowed us to screen there films. Get your tickets now at the link in bio.
Some film shots featured in the new @browser_magazine Unfortunately we will not be releasing a ski video this year :( but we are making a two year vid :)
