We all shot over to Brighton last night to see the Vans shoes sponsored, first UK exhibition of photographer Hugh Holland.s iconic Angels series....loads of cool pictures from the era...the free beer flowed and we checked the shots of some real, back in the day, original skatboarding, including stacey peralta. Thanks to Nick at Vans for the invite...here's some more info in the evening..
After recent first showings in Los Angeles and New York, the exhibition, entitled Angels. Street. Skate. Seventies will open at Crane Kalman Brighton on 21st June to coincide with National Go Skateboarding Day. These seminal images document the classic era of the early skateboard scene in California in the early 1970.s, with many of the images featuring the now legendary names of the sport, such as Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. Holland began documenting the burgeoning skate phenomenon in 1975 after becoming instantly captivated through a chance encounter with this group of skateboarding kids whilst driving up Laurel Canyon Boulevard, LA. Fervent enthusiasm for the energy of the counterculture quickly certified Holland.s acceptance within the community. Every spare moment was spent capturing the everyday social interactions of groups, such as the notorious Zboys from Santa Monica and Venice. It was this group of stylish, rebellious skaters that became known as the Dogtown crew, now immortalised in Peralta.s iconic documentary .Dogtown & Z-boys., and it was the Vans Era shoe, designed by Peralta and skate legend Tony Alva that became skateboarding.s first shoe and the signature style of the emerging 70.s skate scene.
Holland successfully captures the exhilaration and rebellion felt during the birth of the scene. The summer drought of 1976 especially illustrates the attitude, when the skate kids seized the opportunity to brake into and carve up the emptied California neighbourhood pools and street drainage bowls.
