What started as a 'street party meets gallery manifestation of mayhem' and if the truth be told, the public birth of Banksy, is being reprised, and the unfinished business will now finally be put to bed. The Clown Skateboard’s story was cut dead 15 years in its hey day as the creators needed to ‘come up for air' but now the very same outlier ring masters who were present at the inaugural point and instigation of the Art, Music and Skateboarding movement, have removed their breathing apparatus and the circus is most certainly back in town ...
On the subjects of art, commerce, skate and why analogue is always gonna be the way forward - we held down play and record and had a quick chat amidst the launch madness with curator Jeff Boardman /
TNO: Ok there’s an anniversary yes - but really why now ?- You were 20 years ahead of the ‘vert ramp / curve’ ie: decks as canvases as fine art - what instigated the reprise ?
JB: Its 20 years to the month when we released our first ever test series, the timing was right to come back. Plus this situation we are living in at present has allowed most of us a period to reflect on our lives and to see if what we was doing in the past is what we wanted to do in the future – my answer to that was no. I wanted to get back to what I really loved – the worlds of skateboarding and art.
We are constantly humbled that CLOWN is still alive in the the skate community’s consciousness after all these years, we got asked constantly if would return. So today we are here to finish what we started.
“Art and skateboarding have always been linked and always been a big part of us”
TNO: Has the union of Skate & High Art now become so inextricably linked, With the likes of Pettibon x Supreme, Dash Snow triptychs and The Gonz that as a gallerist and ex-skater- Sunil / Jeff surely this is unimaginable to not see out and re launch the brand providing closure to the old and rebirthing to curate the new ?
JB: Art and skateboarding have always been linked and always been a big part of us.
TNO: Skateboarding and heavy graphics, that squat for free on the flip side of the grip tape, and face off with the urethane, go hand in hand - a sick graphic can sell thousands of boards - So, do we expect these boards to be skated or aligned neatly in a row and spotted on the wall of a modernist property by someone browsing the Modern House ?
JB: We thank anyone who wishes to buy our skateboards, as each deck sold gives us the opportunity to produce more decks and donate them to kids that need them. It’s great if our boards make someone’s house look good, but in an ideal world they would all be ridden till totally fucked, in the same way that a record should be played, a tee needs to be worn, and a bottle of vodka needs to be drank.
TNO: Skating now inhabits the world of art and commerce more than ever, when you first started Clown the Landscape was different and the skaters didn’t date vogue girls. How much was different and what challenges had to be overcome that nowadays are no longer obstacles ? Do you foresee an easier drop in this time ?
JB: Was anything a challenge when we started? Not really as we loved what we did. The obstacle was having enough time in the day to do what we wanted and enough money to keep the team in boards. Will this change this time around? only time will tell.
TNO: Skating has a ‘blind bravery‘ when it comes to its overall positioning - from what were the outliers to now the Ultimate in crowd. With brands like PALACE illustrating the point and individuals like Blondey making the sky the limit - how do you see the reprise of Clown bring navigated by the three of you from a direction perspective ?
JB: Our blind bravery is to be seen from August 2020 onwards. Big respect to Palace, however CLOWN is a very different beast.
TNO: In a world governed now by the falsehoods of social media and the desire to be ‘seen and heard’ where is your place at the table? Will we see a wider global art collective emerging and the production of a wider array of ‘merch’ and projects if you will ?
JB: The word merch does not sit well with us – it feels cheap. Yes, you will be seeing a global approach from us, we have already set up Clown partnerships in both New York and San Francisco with some great makers & creators. 2021 will see us working with artists, organisations and people who we feel are bringing a craft into whatever they do.
TNO: What charities will you be partnering with and donating to ? And will there be mentoring programmes and community workshops ?
It’s totally important and a massive part of our commitment, we make skateboards, so we intend to produce and donate them to, and work with organisations, charities and community groups that need them. Skateboarding is a massive release, confidence builder, it’s a community that will nurture you, help you and give you support, so if we can introduce and give the opportunity to kids who need that, we might just end up helping making a difference.
TNO: Finally - will we see some surprises accompanying the launch? 2 decades ago you guys were renowned for Audio and Visual assaults on the senses as guerilla marketeers and provocateurs - will we see a return to analogue visceral Technique ?
JB: We never left the analogue world.
