"My name's Jean, I'm seventeen years old and I'm a skater.
Skateboarding isn't just a sport, it's a way of life, a means of escaping from everyday routine and reclaiming spaces. Skaters are a neglected tribe, confined to the suburbs, industrial estates and skate parks in the middle of nowhere. That's the reason why me and my friends have decided to leave the metropolis and follow a nomadic existence.
Some time ago, I found an old box of family photographs in the attic, a world of travellers, caravans and fairground workers. I repaired and painted an old caravan with some of my friends, keeping the original style of the interior and papering the walls with the photos I'd found and other ones we took while skateboarding. That's the caravan I was born in, left abandoned in my grandmother's back yard for years. The decision to take the caravan back out on the road was a spontaneous impulse, motivated by a desire to re-connect to my travelling roots and find new places to skateboard in. We move around in this way, without worrying about the destination, just enjoying the ride because, as long as there's road, there is no place in which to arrive."
Jean takes us on the discovery of an imaginary world where the modern-day culture of the skateboarder fuses with the traditions of the nomadic gypsy creating an unexpected melting pot of symbols and values.
'Skathéroisme', a travelling exhibition bringing with it art, skateboarding ramps, vintage caravans and traditional gypsy music is sponsored by Dc and will be visiting major Italian cities from May 2009.
'Skathéroisme, esprit gitane!' is a project by the Turin-based designer and photographer, Raoul Giloli, author of 'Permeabilité' an exhibition on Roman Polanski, presented during the recent edition of the Turin Film Festival.
www.skateroisme.com
