Richard Edgley

I was schlepping down by the Southbank Centre the other day and did what I always do – stop for a few moments to watch the boarders and BMXers. People have been using the undercroft as a place to hangout and do stuff for decades. There is a rich urban and history attached to the space and British skateboarding. John Crace has written a nice piece about it in the Guardian.

Growing up in the 1980s, skateboarding, BMXing and their associated cultural touch points were as much a part of my youth as LEGO and Star Wars. I never skated at the undercroft and have not been on a board for years but I enjoy those minutes lingering watching and soaking up the vibe.

The Southbank Centre has impressive plans to redevelop the site and have taken into account the needs of the community of folk who use the undercroft.  The problem is they don’t seem to have realised the cultural and historical significance of a space that has been created and evolved of the years by its users.

You can discover more about the plans, the response of the skaters and if minded to do so sign the petition against moving the skate park.

Anyway, here is a picture I took while strolling past.

If there is a sign... it must be true.

How cultures articulate death is rather interesting. Gravestones, funerary art, shrines and memorials say more about the culture they originate from than the people they represent.

I walk past this gravestone pretty much everyday. The skull and bones caught my eye. I like the typography and the worn feel with the lichen looking like it has been spray painted on to accentuate the effect. It resides in a park that was formerly a burial ground attached to a church. As is custom for former burial grounds, the gravestones are moved to mark the boundaries of the park. Many people don't notice them. I think it is rather nice that they remain, a reminder if not of the person whose headstone it was but as a marker to a former use and time.

Apart from the impact of weather and nature, this gravestone has not changed much over the years. Yesterday evening it had acquired a rather lovely motif. It was dressed with a colourful skull knitted bunting. Very 'Day of the Dead'.