Urban Interaction. Color, Space and Texture

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BFA THESIS 2013

Pacific Northwest College of Art

Our urban environments share strong similarities with the natural world, but they are often overlooked. There are members of our society, however, that look upon our cement playgrounds with a different eye than that which is normally accepted. Skateboarders see architecture, color, space and texture in a way that promotes full interaction. Their surroundings become living entities in which to interact and learn. The ideas presented in this paper are enforced with person- ally developed illustrations, as well as photographs of urban environments and the natural world. It is a reflective essay, one that pulls from my personal accounts and ideas of the urban landscape.

As an illustrator and a skateboarder for more than fifteen years, I have come to find that the urban environment is a living, breathing entity, a being of massive natural force, which at first glance seems only static and distant from the natural occurring world. Every house, building, bus stop, school, shopping enter, park, plaza, holds certain characteristics that show signs of life. Through careful observation, I have come to find an appreciation for every texture on every surface; these contain the memories of the city. Every rain-storm leaves some aggressive mark. Every car that drives down any number of streets directly contributes to the aesthetic of that area. Foot traffic through our downtown maps trails just as deer do through forests and meadows. This paper and project provided me the opportunity to further my understanding of our urban areas, and fill apart of myself that didn’t quite understand or know what it wanted from my urban playground. Analyzing the way water oxidizes the side of an iron wall. Observing the patterns created from vegetation overtaking a fence. Considering the colors that make up what I would skate and would not, and deciding if it made any difference. My conclusion is not just a personal one; the intention is that through the reading of this article, and the viewing of the images I have created to support this concept, the audience interested in the idea of urban interaction and the city as a natural phenomenon will begin to consider the subtleties that their environment holds, and find an appreciation for cement and metal and glass and storm drains and railings and ledges and stairs.