Red Bull Skate Space, assembled in Hood River, to be skateable art in Seattle park

 

Leave it to Seattle to come up with another unique way to embrace two strong cultures of the city: those who love fine art, and those who love to bonk hard surfaces with their skateboards.

 

Coming in June, Seattleites who embrace such cultures can have it both ways at Jefferson Park,4101 Beacon Ave. South, when the art of C.J. Rench of Hood River and the skateboarding of Torey Pudwill of Los Angeles come together

 

Red Bull, the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation and professional skateboarder and X Games medalist "T-Puds" will unveil the Red Bull Skate Space, a permanent art sculpture designed for the City of Seattle that is skateable.

 

The 23-foot skateable public art project was designed, built and assembled at the C.J. Rench Design Studio in Hood River, where Pudwill appeared in May to give it a test run.

 

The Red Bull Skate Space will be presented to the Emerald City in Jefferson Park on International Go Skateboarding Day, Saturday, June 21, with festivities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pro skateboarders joining Pudwill will include Ryan Sheckler, Felipe Gustavo, Tom Schaar, Alex Midler, Ryan Decenzo and Joey Brezinski.

 

International Go Skateboarding Day was conceived by the International Association of Skateboard Companies to help make skateboarding more accessible through various events held in major cities around the world.

 

The Red Bull Skate Space initiative echoes the day's mantra of promoting the progression of skateboarding, building community and bringing all kinds of people together – skaters and non-skaters alike. "This project is a true collaboration with art and skateboarding, and Seattle is the perfect city to host this innovative work of art," Pudwill said in a statement released by Red Bull.

 

Named Best Street Skater at the 2011 TransWorld Skateboarding Awards, the 24-year-old Pudwill is renowned for game-changing street skills, which have earned him spots on a variety of podiums, including at X Games, the Copenhagen Pro, the Tampa Pro and Maloof Money Cup.

 

Pudwill and the Oregon-based artist began designing and fabricating the Red Bull Skate Space together in early 2013 and will officially begin installation in Jefferson Park on June 18.

 

"Working with Torey and Red Bull to create art that invites interaction and participation has been a dream project," Rench said to Red Bull. "As we speak, architects, designers and city planners are devising measures to exclude skateboarding from the public domain. It's about time we embrace skateboarding as an art form by creating unique multi-use art where the innovation of the skateboarders can truly flourish."

 

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