Timeless Skatepark

I have done experiments on creating GIFs in Photoshop. I have thought about using GIFs again in this project as I think they can sum up the project topic visually in a direct way.

Photograph used for GIF:

This is the photo that I used for the base of the GIF. I chose the skatepark in the park as the skatepark was the most important to the majority of the young people that I have talked to. I wanted to show how the park/skatepark has drastically changed. More importantly, what it looks like right now and what the young people will lose with the gain of the sports hub.

All photo used in GIF:

I digitally drew each layer in Photoshop using a Wacom tablet. I worked in layers for each picture. When I was happy with the layer, I would save the image. I used reference photos of the skatepark on what it used to look like online. I attempted to draw the skatepark childlike, making it look like a messy sketch. I used the colour scheme of blue, yellow, purple, and pink throughout my pieces.

I added the quote, "It's the best in Blakelaw." One of the young people commented on this when asked about the skatepark. In all of the sections that I got, this was the one that best described the skatepark and its importance to the community. The simplicity of stating it was "the best" shows that they cherish the park and would want some aspects to be kept or improved.

I turned these images into GIFs using photoshop as I wanted this to be looped. Each layer is shown for 1 second, with the last photo with the quote being on for the longest of 2 seconds, so it is enough time for the viewer to read. The GIF shows the skatepark being built with the quote showing before going back to the original empty image of the dirt square showing the reality of what it looks like currently.

GIF during Shaun Project Space critique

During the critique, I only had a few pieces that were finished that I could show. I decided to use this time as a mock exhibition.

I added the GIF of the skatepark in PowerPoint and then projected on onto the wall using my laptop on the projector.

I liked the idea of projecting it onto the wall as it turned the GIF into a wall-sized piece which looks impressive when viewing it. The only problem was with the lighting. Projections look best in completely dark rooms but I can't have the room dark when there are quotes to read, questions to respond by writing and games to play.

I originally had the idea of playing with the lighting. During the duration of the exhibition, the lights become dimmer representing the scrapping of adding the lights in the park for the new sports hub. Again I didn't think it would be practical.

Final Exhibition placement

For the Exhibition week itself, I put the GIF into the TV to keep the lights in the space on. I turned the GIF into an MP4 so it can play on the TV as a video. I changed the way it was looped so the video isn't too harsh when viewing. The video starts at the empty field, then the different layers of the skatepark build up, and finally, the quote from the young person; the video rewinds and plays backwards back to the empty field.

It changes how the video plays and gives a new meaning to this piece. It shows what it lost but depending on when you watch the video; it shows what could've been. The video plays two directions delivering the two different outcomes.

I prefer the new placement of the GIF. The TV is the first thing the audience sees before going into the exhibition space. I feel that this version of how the GIF plays summarises the exhibition well. When looking at the video, you know that it's about the park with the quote and the digital drawing. It gives you an overall feeling of the exhibition before looking at the rest of the exhibition.

Exhibition Statement: Timeless Skatepark

Timeless Skatepark
Digital GIF - Edited photograph, Photoshop and Wacom tablet

The photo base is a primary image of the skatepark without digital drawing. It is a photograph of an empty field with a plot of dirt where the skatepark used to be; this is what it looks like currently. In January 2022, construction work started and resulted in the demolition of the skatepark. This was the piece of the park that was a recurring topic with the young people, as it was their usual “hang out spot” for years. They would come to the skatepark with bikes and scooters just to socialise with the young people in the local community. Without this skatepark, where will the young people go?

I edited the base photo of the GIF into grayscale. I digitally drew 17 frames using a Wacom tablet; each frame shows the Skatepark gradually building, showing what the skatepark used to look like before the demolition. I used the colours of Project4change and the two community centres in the area, starting with a pale yellow and ending with pink/purple. I contributed a quote by a young person who often used the skatepark, stating that “It’s the best in Blakelaw”, highlighting its importance to the community's young people. I further emphasise the statement by making “Best” more prominent than any letters using capital letters and a dark yellow. I edited together the 17 frames into a GIF using Photoshop. The GIF plays forwards to build the skatepark and rewinds to see the skatepark back to just a pile of dirt forever in a loop.