I was invited by Beneficial Shock Magazine to join a small group of artists for a special exhibition/auction, raising funds to help support Bristol's Campus Pool community based projects.
You can pop by the exhibition at Campus Skate Pool in Bristol or join in on the silent auction online.
We all chose a skate film to respond to using creative mediums and the results are spectacular!
The film I chose had to be Larry Clark, KIDS as it's a personal favourite which I felt compelled to explore.
Here are some words that supported my finished deck design;
In this piece, I invite you into a world where chaos and humour intersect with sadness and social commentary. Inspired by the narrative style and story line of Larry Clark and Harmony Korine's 90’s film KIDS, this work explores themes of classism, poverty, and escapism through surreal, anthropomorphic imagery. The erratic behaviour of the animalistic characters reflects the raw energy and recklessness often displayed by those on the fringes of society, those struggling to survive within an unforgiving urban landscape.
Pigeons and rats, creatures synonymous with New York City, serve as metaphors for the marginalised—the people fighting for survival, scraping by in a world that views them as pests. The frog represents the social outcasts, performing for society’s gaze, entertaining and disturbing in equal measure. Its actions are uncomfortable, even absurd, much like how society views those who deviate from the norm.
Through this work, I encourage viewers to be both entertained and unsettled, to experience confusion and amusement, while reflecting on the deeper societal forces at play. In both the art and the film, the characters may seem erratic, but there’s a purpose behind their chaos. It’s a response to the social and cultural conditions that shape their world—class disparity, violence, and the desperate need to escape. In many ways, this piece is an invitation to consider how society dehumanises those who don’t conform, reducing them to their most basic survival instincts for the sake of entertainment or indifference.
Ultimately, this piece is a meditation on the ways we navigate a world that often denies our humanity, and the lengths we go to, consciously or unconsciously, to break free from that.
KIDS
1995
Directed by Larry Clark
Screen Play by Harmony Korine
Why to watch: Tragic, Passionate and Bleak
Rest easy
Justin Pierce (Casper) 1975 - 2000
Harold Hunter (Harold) 1974 - 2006
