I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mark Frölich and Mikendo on Mark’s “Four turns left” part and it just released on the Thrasher website the other day. Six minutes of straight bangers, definately worth checking out:

Please vote for our D.I.Y. Project, as we’re trying to raise some money to build this spot in Spring ‘13. This contest for 3000€ could be a big step, thanks for supporting us by giving your vote:

https://www.facebook.com/sparkassekoelnbonn?v=app_513829758633925&app_data=61

After Cologne’s world-famous marble paradise underenath the “Dom” has been skatestopped five years ago, we found ourselves a home in a former streethockey court not too far from the center. Now the city council officially handed over the rights to that place to our club “Dom Skateboarding e.V.”, we founded back in 2007 and we’re free to build anything on there.

Behind the link there’s a video explaining what we’ve done so far (building Kap686plaza and two other skateparks in Cologne) and you can see the actual spot in the video – unfortunately all talking is german!

This is a first rough sketch of what we’re aiming for below, it will be a little more playful in the end, but this would be the first step:

Thanks for your support!

We just relaunched our magazine website this weekend and are quite happy with the outcome, go check for yourself:

http://www.skateboardmsm.de

Cologne is known to be on the forefront of electronic music for a long, long time. My homie Pascal Schmidt is a part of it, dj’ing and producing under the name of Pascis:

NYC|C is a skateboarding & architecture related exhibition in Cologne, Germany from Sept. 21.-29.:

NYC|C - Harold Hunter © Charlie Samuels

As part of Plan12 architecture biennale in Cologne, Germany, artist Alexander Basile and me have organized an art initiative called NYC|C, that’s dedicated to the global influence of New York City’s skateboard culture to be held in Cologne Germany from September 21 until October 18, 2012.

Throughout the city center ten billboards will become art-locations within the public space, showing the work of photographers Todd Jordan, Jonathan Mehring, Gerhard Stochl, Mike O’Meally, Giovanni Reda and Charlie Samuels, depicting New York City’s skateboarding scene in its architectural surroundings between 1989 and 2010.

The focal point of NYC|C is Basile’s gallery SSZ SUED which will premier the exhibition “Around A Town (eine Nacherzählung)” by Johannes Wohnseifer. This selection of photographs depicts Backworlds/Forwords, a performance project conceived by Wohnseifer in collaboration with artist and skateboarder Mark Gonzales at the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach, Germany in 1998. 

As part of the exhibition, a lecture series by urban planners and researchers will the held in combination with screenings of films by RB Umali, Larry Clark, Pontus Alv and others.

Naturally, some actual skateboarding will take place as well. On September 23, Basile and Tielsch are inviting the public to a special New York City-themed version of Cologne’s annual skateboarding race at KAP686 skateplaza.

We will of course include some actual skateboarding as well. On September 23 we invite to a special New York City-themed version of Cologne’s annual skateboarding race at KAP686 skateplaza.

I’ll keep you posted!

nyc-cologne.com

Celebrating the first anniversary of our Kap686-Skateplaza in Cologne we decided to hold a team skate contest, inviting all the best german teams to battle head to head in 3 minute street runs. 30 teams were competing, from Vans to Nike SB to Converse to Radio Skateboards to all the local brands and shops – it was quite an impressive lineup of skaters.

Kap686

30 teams battled head-to-head

The local rippers of Wasted Box skateshop took the first place over the guys at Nike SB and celebrated accordingly:

“Jute Zick” means good times in Kölsch, which is the typical dialect of german spoken in Cologne. My friend Janosch Pugnaghi put this video together, covering our local scene, which has a lot to offer. Combined it with Krautrock and some nice animations of his friends at chillfolio it’s definately worth watching and i’m happy to have a few tricks in there (at 20:45):

Check the new video part of german ripper Felix Lensing. He put quite some work into this one, ate shit the first time he came NYC, but came back. Some tribute to Jake Johnson here as well, haha…

More Skateboarding Videos

Josh Kalis was visiting Germany just recently, being part of the DC Euro Riot Crew. Unfortunately he just rolled his ankle a few days prior to arrival in Cologne, so we didn’t get to see him skate this time around. Still we had a good time hanging out in the sun, plus he could answer a few of our questions:

More Skateboarding Videos

Thanks Josh!

I just found this photo of my friend Mike i took two years ago while visiting him in LA, that reminded me of his latest project he just sent me a few days ago:

Other than me, Mike is updating all of his youtube’s and blogs everyday, get some proper skate entertainment at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/mikendo
http://www.filmbotgrip.com/