NZSnowboard.com - The home of New Zealand Snowboarding

18th September 2008

By: Hannah Tatton

 Everything seems to be turning to the art-side lately, with art being incorporated into board riding scenes more and more. Snowboarding is no exception. Leaving the industry's fashion vogues and film or photography masterpieces aside, the art found under your feet is perhaps the closest a rider can get to snowboarding's element of graphical creativity.

Scroll through Capita's online snowboard catalogue and you'll find a big emphasis on the graphics of their boards. You'll notice this not only because of the insane graphics themselves, but also because of the accompanying 'story time' that explains its inspiration.
 
One standout is the Black Death Speed Tribe range. Suitable to the name, the graphics include images of axes, knives and eagles, yet done in a tasteful way.
The design is inspired by one of legendary Hunter S. Thompson's rather bold quotes:  
 
"The menace is loose againrunning fast and loud on the early morning freeway, low in the saddle, nobody smiles, jamming crazy through traffic and ninety miles an hour down the centre stripe, missing by inches ...like Genghis Khan on an iron horse, a monster steed with a fiery anus, flat out through the eye of a beer can and up your daughter's leg ..."

Closer to home, Plague snowboard owner Nic Kirkland has been gathering up his crew of four graphic designers for an all out graphical bang for the 2009 drop.
 
Sydney based Dave Tomlinson, Dunedin based Chris Schmelz and Queenstown residers Mark Alsweiler and Laura Shallcrass are the Pablo's behind four new graphics.
 
"I have always been stoked with skate graphics and as a kid in the 80s the whole punk/skate scene seemed so very cool, I guess I never really got over it! Then plague evolved and it seemed natural to get my friends to help.
 
"Dave has been involved with Plague since the get go, I grew up causing trouble with Chris, and I met Mark and Laura a couple of years ago in dirty old Queens. The kids have free reign with the art and each of them has their own style and influences," said Kirkland.

An exhibition was held at The Good Room, Wanaka, in July to launch the boards, with each artist producing t-shirts of their designs. The tees now sold out, a new batch should soon be on its way.
 
Designer and snowboarder Laura Shellcrass graduated from Design school with and illustration major, travelled around before ending up where she is now; working in a snowboard shop, painting and wishing someone would pay her to do it full time.
 
The inspiration behind Shellcrass's 09 design which Nic says has, for obvious reasons, heaps of guys stoked on it, is a rather intriguing story.

"This one (graphic) is about a story I remember hearing as a kid. It's about a girl who always wears a ribbon around her neck and various people keep trying to make her take it off. Eventually a boy manages to convince her to do so and when she does her head falls off. It's kind of gross really but the story has always fascinated me," she said.
 
And it's nice to know that you're Plague stick is a handmade, limited edition, as Nic only prints 10 of each graphic. He is also aiming to release another five next June.
 
"The boards are totally hand built, and if you get your order in early enough your board will be built to fit you!  Obviously with the graphics there is only ever going to be another 9 boards with the same one," he said.
 
He also points out that Plague snowboards are for anyone. With imported wood from Europe and base material from America, sizes range from 143cm through to 159cms and waist widths from 23cm through to 26cm. "There is something for most cats and the graphics can be used on any size board," he said. While all boards are twin tipped and perfect for park, he'll even let you ride it wherever you want.
 
But why incorporate such talented art into Plague snowboards? Perhaps a stupid question.
 
"Snowboard graphics in general have been pretty stale in the last couple of years. There are defiantly some stand outs but I mean shit it's time to get over the gangsta!   Taking on local talent was a good opportunity to fill the hole," said Kirkland.
 
The change in snowboard graphics over the length of the sport's existence have changed just as rapidly as fashions from your primary school days to what you rock now. Yet perhaps it's the input from locally talented artists which give the scene a fresh cut away from the mass produced designs.
 
Like a lot of board companies, Plague looks to incorporate the artier scene into the snowboarding industry.
 
"You either love it or hate it but either way you notice it!  I figure if you're stoked on your board's graphics you're going to keep it.  It's a work of art and the more you wreck your board the cooler it's going to look on your wall in 10 years time!" he said.
 
It seems like a colourful future with more outlandish designs, envelope pushing ad campaigns, fashion trends and general arty creativity for the snowboard industry, as Shellcrass predicts.
 
"I think that snowboards provide such a good canvas that art and snowboarding's future is inextricably linked. Fashion and styles are bound to change but I'm sure there will always be an element of art to what we as snowboarders do."




LINKS:
www.plaguesnowboards.co.nz
www.chompdesign.co.nz
www.sacsap.org
www.markalsweiler.com
www.capitasnowboarding.com