AVL

AVL, Bikini Bar

So, I was asked to write something for this blog about Atelier Van Lieshout. I’m not a skater so can’t tell you about “wollies” and “noseslips” but I can tell you about the AVL family and their general philosophy that I reckon bares similarity to some ideas in the skater world.

The central theme of the company, beyond the polyurethane cocks and anus bars is: DIY. AVL work on a “can do attitude.” Don’t sit around and plan, understand things by making and doing. The office, which is a massive warehouse on the Rotterdam harbour, runs on an assumed personal responsibility, health and safety is not a consideration but rather people making decisions with a mind to their own level of risk.

The world today and especially the UK is a fucking series of “can’t do’s” and rules. The bureaucracy of the country makes any attempt at spontaneity impossible, spur of the moment intentions are quashed by the need to fill out reams of paper and applications. This straight tie, health and safety bollocks has infected every element of British culture, every idea in social or academic life is blocked by a list of problems, but the skate community continues to build and claim areas for their uses in a DIY, gorilla style, if a few other communities took on this pro-active attitude we could be moving in a far more interesting cityscape.

WB X