Grade II listed climbing frame

Newcastle city centre is in the UK top 3 for listed buildings, especially concentrated in Grainger Town. Exquisite and magnificent but not much good for skating or BMX. A sort of beautiful deadzone compared to the unloved modern plazas, car parks and walkways. But for parkour it turns out the older Toon is ideal, festooned with hand holds, climbing faces, ledges and walls. Here are North East parkour turning the Old law Courts (1864-65) into a climbing wall (2011-2012).

Wasteland still loved

It may be January, the "private property" signs may be up, the block may be demolished but the Wasteland in Newcastle is still being skated. Across the old factory floor are mini ramps, blocks and pallets. Maybe they only come out at night. Keeps getting ripped up, burnt and battered and keeps getting put back together. Last year one of the JCB drivers used his digger to help shift some of the debris away and two old radgies on the Lambrini at 11am, sitting on the wall by the block and tuned into radio Newcastle, bemoaned the loss of trees because that is where the birds nested. There are some stunning wild flowers there too, but the botany can wait til spring. At this rate the block will get rebuilt before the flats get going.

Teenaphobia & Old Eldon Square

Redeveloping Old Eldon Square. Peter Rogers (who worked at Newcastlele Uni) points out that much of the local media coverage of young people around the Square (okay, not all skaters are teenagers, but you get lumped together), was a poor representation of how people felt. Opinions of elderly people in the area were not unanimous in wanting a blanket ban, ex-servicemen's associations also were okay about youngsters (just don't skate the memorial itself). The Square had a 50 year history, maybe more, for hanging out with friends. So, what's the big deal with the space? Maybe all the consultation around developing Exi Park was a bit meaningless... Exi was always going to be developed where it was, out of sight and out of mind. Meantime Gateshead Council were keen to get skaters into 5 Bridges because when skaters were there little old ladies felt safe.

BOOOMPFF. My first skateborad

In Native today, hearing tales of people's very first skateboards and "BOOOMPFF" is the best ever description of suddenly getting one. Turns out everyone could remember; where it came from, colours, graphics, trucks, stickers. Okay, even if most of them came from Argos or £10 from Transit. "I went to my friends street, did my first proper ollie and broke my board and started crying". Brilliant tales of starting out. Just the sort of everyday happenings we take for granted but mean a great deal. Just the sort of tales we'd like to hear more of for PlayToon. If you got a photo of your first board (and, even better, you with it) or would like to jot down a few lines about your first board, when you got it, what happened, it would be great to hear from you. email photos or your first board tales so we can weave your story into PlayToon for the exhibition. email address michael.jeffries@northumbria.ac.uk. Big thank you to everyone who was in Native today. mike

Cartooning & skate chat, Native, Saturday 21st Jan

We will be in Native on Saturday 21st if you fancy telling tall tales from your skating days around Tyneside. i'll have a little digi-recorder so you can chat away to your hearts content, whatever is important to you about the skate scene. Or maybe just which is your favourite Greggs pasty. All skaters are welcome to join in, and doodle some cartoons of yourselves, your mates and your adventures. Mike J

The trouble with hanging around

"An integrated strategy for economic and spatial deveopment: it shows how we build the knowledge economy" NewcastleGateshead 1Plan, (2010).
That's the trouble with city centres: dominated by a commercial/corporate agenda which sees everyone as a customer. And if you are not a customer you are a nuisance. Skaters, BMXers and free-runners are using space for free. They hang around. Is that the heart of the alleged problem? Maybe city planners are missing a trick. Even 1Plan's culture and creativity summary ends up "the creative economy will take a big step forward strengthending links with the manufacturing sector, expanding into international markets and growing businesses of scale". Not much about there about the brilliant videos, blogs, photos from Tyneside's street sports' scenes. Time to start showing off.

North East Parkour on board

"Z-boys did the unprecdented by sparking skaters' interest in their own history". Stacey Peralta.

Met up with Craig and the North East Parkour team at the Sage yesterday. Craig and co very happy to get involved with PlayToon too. Sounds like they have an inner and outer city orbit with spots like the Discovery Museum and new City Library. Curious too see if PK and skaters ever get to use same spots. Maybe trucks and feet need different surfaces. Brilliant horde of glittering microscooters sweeping past Grainger Town Market on Sunday. Back at the Wasteland in Shieldfield good to see some wheel tracks in the frost. The Wasteland is not unloved or abandoned quite yet.

Skatopolis. Put your self in the picture

PlayToon opening event will be 19th May, Holy Biscuit Gallery, Shieldfield, (Newcastle), with follow up exhibition throughout the week after. Opening event will feature half pipe and parkour frame from Urban Games team, plus DJs, along with videos, photography, zines, atlases, cartoons, animations.

At the heart of this is representing your worlds to the city. Many street sports folk are already expert photographers, film-makers and cartoonists. We would like to include work from as many as possible In particular a shout out to those of you just starting out. You may think your photos are not as good as the best. So what, it is your world not theirs. Maybe you'd like to just send in a photo of yourself or your mates for a massive gallery of Tyneside's skaters, BMXers and free runners. That is just as welcome. So, we will use this blog to tell you what is going on, how to get in touch and get involved. There is also a Facebook group (search for PlayToon2012) and soon a Flickr group for more images. Mike

"Finding the groove and exploring you own style where gravity is the only law" Eric Haze.

PlayToon sets out to explore, document, doodle and play the cityscape of Tyneside. Over the weekend of 18th-19th May 2012 the Holy Biscuit Gallery down in Shieldfield (Newcastle, near the Wasteland) will host an event of live action, art and architectural misbehaviour.

If you skate, BMX or free run across our city this is for you to represent your world. This blog will document what we are up to, plans, progress and why this matters.

In a city that sees young people out and about as, at best, a nuisance, it is time to put yourselves on the map.