Long Live South Bank - Skateboard Graveyard

I first skated the South Bank back in the late 1970s. It's remained a mecca for London’s skateboarders ever since, almost 40 years.In 2013, it was in danger of being lost - replaced by a development of shops and restaurants. Situated beside the Thames, it’s an area loved by Londoners and tourists out for a walk. The brief was to use this prime location to make people aware of the skatepark’s predicament and drive passing visitors to sign the petition. Using old skateboard decks from actual South Bank skaters (broken in half in the skateboarding tradition), I created a skateboard graveyard, showing what would happen if the plans went ahead. The graveyard was prominently positioned at the skatepark in view of the passing public, next to a table gathering signatures to a petition.The graveyard was shared widely across social channels and appeared on many photography, fashion, and youth culture sites. Thankfully, due to a monumental effort by Long Live South Bank, the development was halted and the area is now listed.