Locals ask me ‘How did you manage to take this image with no skaters in the pic?'. Not sure say I. That’s what I wanted. Thought it, saw it, went there, shot it.
 
This seemingly deserted urban landscape would normally be teeming with youngsters skating, biking, scooting up and down every nook & cranny, it's true...but not on this particular day.
 
Normally you’d see newbies literally stepping out for the first time with their new skateboards in shouting distance of encouraging if not overly enthusiastic, over protective (embarrassing) parents. You’d see youngsters barely taller than their boards fly on the wind, turning into acrobats, daredevils before your very eyes, as well as teens, on the verge of manhood, putting on skilfully daring, bravado tinged displays, competitive, sparring, laying down territorial gauntlets to aspiring new comers.
 
More importantly, if you looked beyond the bravado you'd see soo much more. You'd see that for many, especially those living close by, this SK8 Pk was waay more than a huge undulating multi-coloured graffitied cement bowl. It was a safe haven, a social hub, an informal insiders club, a place to make new likeminded friends; a place where the local youth, regardless of cultural background, religion or race spoke a shared universal language, shared a common love; a place to look forward to going to, a place to grow, to experiment, to muster courage, to define & shape identity, a place where players belonged and were accepted, even if acceptance was a mere nod or smile of acknowledgement from the more seasoned ‘pro’ ito the fast learning gawky rooky....
 
Today, almost a decade since the image was taken, the local battle to keep this unique area intact has been won by property developers & investors. As billboards splashed with pictures of the new era rise around the outskirts, bulldozers sit in wait to begin the demolition of derelict and recently vacated flats...

London SW9/ ©2009