Skateboarding at Finlayson

Since 2015 the former textile factory area in the center of Tampere during summertime has been used as a venue for of international and local art gallery called Finlayson Art Area (FAA). One of the places for art works has been the square in front of the Finnish Labour Museum Werstas.

This year in the square has been an interactive ringing sculpture called ”Sonic Youth”, which also doubles as a skating ramp. The artist Juhana Nyrhinen (born 1977) designed the sculpture to fit with the surrounding architecture. The ramp was painted by known graffiti artists EGS and Teemu Mäenpää.

Nyrhinen took part of the skating culture as a youth and he is also an instrument builder and player. The artist has also other things to show in the summer exhibition, like traditional Finnish string instruments called Kantele built on skate boards and lap-steel guitars.

Skateboard culture is rather strong in Tampere and is in fact getting help from the city. The city officials have opened places where DIY skate parks can be built. There are several such places in old industrial sites around the city and of course these are much larger ones than this ramp.

At the recording there are three skateboarders making runs. At the background an unidentified hip-hop tune is playing.

Recording, video, photo: Kimmo Kestinen