Do we really need to talk about this, I think we don’t really need to give anyone reasons to watch this right? It’s been a little while since Danny Sommerfeld put out a part and with him being part of our staff this edit brings together some of the TPDG’s more recent fascinations that are both contemporary and nostalgic.
Leon Rudolph put together the edit so nice he makes you watch it twice.
https://youtu.be/aAeFQSAU3CM
In the last week of July we decided to make a trip to Montreal, Canada. Our good friends Friedjof Feye and Jonathan Peters have been out there for already three weeks when we got to the city on the east coast. I have pictured it way different, maybe because I always had a very romantic image in my head, when i thought about Northern American cities. But actually, in the end, we always ended up in the industrial part of the city. And those areas always have had the most romantic look to it and so does the industrial architecture in Canada. Especially on a Sunday. When no one is around and it seems like a ghost town. On the other side, the Downtown part of the city is comparable with any other major city in Canada, the USA or even Australia. Allthough, it is more peaceful! But we already decided to have a look around the outskirts of Canada’s second biggest town. With a group of around five guys we were wandering the empty streets and I think each one of us was documenting in a quite different way. Fidi was using a Olympus Mju 1 and his Fuji 200 – Here’s a few snap shots:
Back in the old days and still relevant today, the handshake is a synonym for an agreement, which is not official until both hands are parted. In this issue, we shake hands with people behind five brands from all over the world that are, in our eyes, totally different from each other and all pretty much rookies in the game. To transport the vibe of each brand we needed to get real insights. So were spending time with the founders, their cliques, and social environments, which, once again, makes the work we do and thus our product very personal.
Bastiaan van Zadelhoff – BS 360 No Comply – Photo: Danny Sommerfeld
Pop – Low Country Aesthetics
“Now, if you hang out with this crew you might start believing that Pop is an acronym for People Owning Personality. Why? Because everybody has a strong personality and when they get together, everything gets amplified. It brought out the best in all of us and everyday was full of laughter mixed with “real talk” type of conversations…”
Photo: Danny Sommerfeld
Hotel Blue – A Chat with Nick von Werssowetz
“Sometimes, a few missed connections can still lead where you need to be. The story behind this interview started when I got a text from a friend who was out in Montreal at the time. He sent me a photo of him together with Ayo (Alex O’Donahoel), who unfortunately happened to leave Montreal right before we got there. But as it turned out, Ayo sent a DM letting me know he would be in NYC for the next few days. So we connected when we got to the Big Apple…”
Photo: Conny Mirbach
Alex Olson – Leave a Message
“That is what I heard when I tried to call (917) 692-2706, which we all know is the full phone number behind Alex Olson’s enigmatic board brand. I didn’t leave a message but I wanted to. Just to see if anybody would listen to what I had to say and maybe “they” would even call back…”
Photo: Laura Kaczmarek
Europe Co. – A Ruhr Valley Continent
“The urban areas all have this rather modern architectural character with high-rise buildings, strict geometrical forms, and lots of concrete, steel, and glass. The cityscape tends to change at every street corner from snug to rough, from rich to poor, from vibrant green to gloomy grey. As I learned on my visit, this is exactly the environment the Europe Co. is rooted in.”
Remy Taveira – Fs Wallride – Photo: Maxime Verret
Öctagon – Die Maschine
Following the Öctagon members on a visual adventure through the greatest machinery of humankind, the city.
The brand new PLACE issue 58 “The Handshake” will be available through skateshops, selected retailers and newsstands – some of the shops got the issue already, just ask!
Our friend and editor in chief is having a great month, He has an interview in the current issue of Solo skate mag and yesterday he put out a new part together with Converse. Because we have known Daniel for a pretty long time it is nice to see somebody who is not afraid to change up or fine tune his style with each part he puts out. This part shows you what Daniel and his friends have been focussing on both spot and trick wise. Enjoy!
Those of you that know us have seen us popping up in Leon Rudolph’s latest edit s/o, now if you don’t know what s/o stands for it is short for shout out. I guess that is what Danny Sommerfeld is giving Leon with this behind the scenes style gallery!
Shout out to the end of summer.
Shout out to ignoring the rules of photography.
Shout out to all the cars that passed by and made Franz lose his focus.
Shout out to the next man on the come up.
Shout out to all the teachers that told me I would never amount to something
Shout out to all the people that lived above the buildings that I was hustling in front of.
Shout out to all the places we travel to only to pass by in a second.
Shout out to JJ for bringing a mic to a skate session.
Shout out to ankle braces and smiling faces.
Shout out to all the prayers that were written down by sprayers.
And finally, shout out to all the people that skate second-hand grip and own a first class pet.
Check out Leon’s edit by clicking here and to see more of kaffeezigarette click here.
All photos by Danny Sommerfeld
Text by Roland Hoogwater
Very recently, we had not one but two Placemag sympathizers for a visit in Berlin, Leon Rudolph and Franz Grimm. As Leon is always down to film something, the guys cruised through the city and produced this, naturally, nice edit. And, of course, shout out back to you Leon!
Featuring: Franz Grimm, Danny Sommerfeld, Roland Hoogwater and Steffen Grap.
When we came up with the idea to make an issue about the different approaches of how to portray or depict a person’s identity and character, we thought about the possibility of psychoanalysis early on. More precisely, we considered the method of personality tests seemed to be an interesting field for our concerns.
A person who, on the one hand, is primarily specialized in analyzing people, but on the other unfamiliar with our subject and the world of skateboarding, would probably offer a whole different perspective on a person’s character than interviews usually tend to do.
To lessen the ease of the task a bit, we chose a test person with a very unique appearing character: Giorgi Balkhamishvili. I have personally known Giorgi for a very long time now. We grew up together – I can only barely remember the times before we entered one another’s lives, and we always have remained very close friends. I would argue that Giorgi has a character that is very complex and thus hard to read, especially for someone not knowing him. Even today, although I have known him for so many years and am prepared for every unthinkable quirk of Giorgi’s infamous “five minutes,” he still manages to surprise me from time to time, causing me to ask myself once again if I really know him as well as I think I do. The funny thing is, I always have the feeling that Giorgi secretly enjoys these moments when his actions confuse people, particularly his close friends. Having said this, I was really curious about what this whole experiment would result in. I was interested in how the questions would look like and how precisely one would be able to draw conclusions from the answers.
The personality test we used contained 100 questions that one had to answer with one out of five levels of accuracy, from very accurate to very inaccurate. The questions all followed a similar pattern – They were rather short and aimed at deciphering, or revealing, different character traits: “Do you seldom daydream?” “When you hang out with a group of people, are you bothered by at least one of them?” “Do you know how to get around the rules?” “Do you have a dark outlook on the future?” On top, there were some cognitive ability questions included as well: “Miriam and Adam went fly fishing and caught 32 salmons. Miriam got three times more than Adam. How many did Adam get?” Due to the fact that the test was kind of more a self-assessment, the psychologist included a personal interview at the very beginning in order to get some background information on what sort of context Giorgi’s later answers would be based on. The whole procedure took about three hours and Giorgi patiently answered each question truthfully.
From my point of view, the result was amazingly close to what my own impression of Giorgi is. Moreover, which was less surprising for me than for the analyst, Giorgi’s personality results indeed ended up differing quite a bit from the so-called “average” person. But no worries, at the end of the session, he was allowed to leave the building without subjected to a white straightjacket!
Intro by Paul Röhrs
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld
Meeting Giorgi Armani
by Roos Cornelius, Psychology (Bsc), Philosophy of Social Science (BA)
I first met Giorgi Balkhamishvili on the 29th of May, in Berlin. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and countless amounts of pollen were wafting from tree to tree, declaring the end of Spring just as I arrived to the place where we would meet.
Giorgi told me he moved from Georgia to Berlin with his parents when he was only six months old. Growing up un a creative environment (both his parents are artists) and with the streets of Berlin as a background, he discovered skateboarding at the age of twelve. Although both his arms were bruised when we met, he described skating as a weightless feeling of endless possibilities. He was sure to let me know, before making a jump, he sometimes taps three times on the ground with his skateboard to prevent him from falling too hard. Giorgi also told me about how he does not drink alcohol, but that one time he drank four liters of beer in one night just to win a bet. Most interestingly, Giorgi admitted that he likes to play with the idea of being in prison – a curious desire for someone who has never even committed a felony… At least, as of yet. One might wonder what character could be behind such thoughts. In the following section, I will attempt to capture a glimpse of Giorgi’s personality.
Inside Giorgi Armani
by Roos Cornelius, Psychology (Bsc), Philosophy of Social Science (BA)
To assess Giorgi’s personality, I used an online personality test. Just as most personality tests, it focuses on the basic dimensions of one’s personality, such as extraversion, honesty, and emotional stability. Although a personality test is never flawless, this semi-scientific inventory is designed to be objective. Hence, the results may not necessarily be flattering to whom the data concerns. What secrets could it reveal about Giorgi’s personality?
First of all, the test indicated that he possesses some very admirable character traits. His results show that he scored exceedingly high on modesty. This means his personality bestows him with a humble attitude, both toward others and toward his own accomplishments. In addition, Giorgi scored high on compassion. Compassion is characterized by the ability to recognize the emotions of others. The result suggested that he might be sensitive to social conflicts that exist in his surroundings. Giorgi’s results also indicated that he has a strong capacity to feel sympathy for others.
Another interesting hint we may take from the test results concerns the fact that Giorgi scored curiously low on honesty. This indicates that he might be prone to mislead others, especially those who represent considerable authority. This also suggests that he tends to be less troubled by rule-breaking behavior. He might also be considered more creative, since he is less concerned with following established rules. Giorgi also scored particularly low in the realm of conscientiousness. His results implied that he has a tendency to live in the moment and to act on what feels good. He does not pay much attention to detail and probably has a laid back attitude in general. As a result, some might perceive him as a little careless, maybe even disorganized.
Lastly, Giorgi scored remarkably high on boldness. Boldness represents the ability to face uncertain or even threatening situations with confidence. His results suggested that he is able to face uncertain circumstances with emotional stability. Some emotionally stable individuals may go as far seeking out thrilling situations, because they perceive these situations to be less threatening than most people.
To conclude, I would say Giorgi has a creative personality that tends to avoid rules, but one that yearns to take risks. His character consists of qualities that seem to be ever in search of the next jump, the next thrilling moment, before looping back touching solid ground again.
The test that was used for this article is part of the online SAPA Project, initiated by William Revelle (Northwestern University, Illinois). The test can be found on www.sapa-project.org
The test was quite intense. I had to think about questions that I usually wouldn’t have bothered myself with. In the end, I had the feeling that my hair had turned grey. Ain’t shocking. – Giorgi Armani
“I could do something like this.”
…And you should. There is a thin line between plagerizing and drawing inspiration. Generally, you should ask yourself if you’ve already crossed that line, but rather focus on what is best for your work by naturally developing content, material, and ideas in the process of production. But even if you take an abstract idea and articulate it, putting it in your on words, you will always find people that will see what other work or artist your piece is inspired by.
Our very own Danny Sommerfeld took the idea of David Hockney’s photographic collages and brought it into our world, which is that of skateboarding. While some seem to lose themselves in the photograph, others will always think of hockney’s famous works of classical L.A.: Backyard pools, open roads and cars. As such, in every image you encounter over the next few pages, you’ll also find a little Hockney. And like any other idea you have, there is always someone who might have thought the same, though one way or another, somewhat differently. Even your masters have found their inspiration in other works, just as Hockney sought inspiration from Picasso’s early cubism pieces. He took this idea and brought it into the world of photography.
Take your time to find the beauty in every shot and maybe you’ll find some little hints here and there – odes to photographic masters of yesterday, perhaps some pieces of inspiration for the artists of tomorrow. Nothing is absolutely perfect or unique. Here is to David Hockney:
by Daniel Pannemann
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld
Friends – Bremen, 2016
Farid Ulrich – Betonhausen Berlin, 2016
Johannes Schirrmeister – Alexanderplatz Berlin, 2016
Kai Hillebrand – Spot der Visionäre Berlin, 2016
As I was waiting in front of the HVW8 Gallery in Berlin to meet Jerry Hsu for the first time in my life, I again went over the notes I had written on a rumpled piece of paper. I knew I had to ask the right questions in order to get a deeper impression of who Jerry is and how his mind functions. It began to rain and I had to take cover inside of the gallery, where some of Jerry’s expressive photos had already been hung up on the white walls, while others still were packed in boxes. While looking around, I felt like the whole room was filled with love, while also charged with related but at the same time totally opposite feelings of sadness, and even hints of quiet pain. On one side of the gallery, an adorable naked girl was portrayed sitting in a tub, while on the other side, a man on a lonely street was captured throwing away a fresh bunch of flowers into a trash can while walking by. Somehow Jerry seems to have an eye for quiet and mundane scenes that, on a closer inspection, depict a much deeper theme than what might appear at first glance.
As it turned out, the photography already told me much about Jerry’s character. He is a friendly and calm type of person who was once described by Marc Johnson as “cool breeze”. What was struck me was the way in which he he answered my questions with focus, self-reflection, and consideration. I had initially planned to do an interview that would focus mostly on Jerry’s photography, but as soon as I touched upon the topic of skateboarding, the conversation was guided by Jerry’s excitement in this direction as well.
When we were done with the interview, Danny shot some portraits of Jerry with what seemed like an ancient Polaroid camera. Both photographers naturally started to do some kind of nerd-talk about all sorts of cameras, after which we embarked on a little walk through Berlin, following Jerry as he tried to shoot something with Danny’s Polaroid that we could use for this article. Unfortunately, the camera died after the first shot, but seeing how carefully Jerry scans his environment and searches for motives in order to capture an image was a one-of-a-kind experience.
Interview by Paul Röhrs
Photos by Danny Sommerfeld
Having seen former exhibitions of yours, like “A Table For One,” in which you depict people eating alone, can you describe what your current exhibition, called “A Love Like Mine Is Hard To Find” is concerned with?
This exhibition is sort of a mixture of both my old and new photography, as it is a mixture of my street photography and the kind of the more intimate, sentimental portraits that I do like of my wife, friends and other people. You know, I tried to give the whole thing a certain mood, which is a more sentimental one. I would say it is kind of like a diary, which depicts just my daily life. But furthermore, I wanted to give it a feeling. So it is kind of somber and also kind of a little bit humorous, too, which both I feel like are themes that are in my photos a lot and I just wanted to do a broad sort of exhibition about those things.
If you don’t mind, I would like to get more into detail with this. Tell me some more about the work process. What I am especially interested in is how you decide the moment when you feel like you are finished? You know, because in my imagination, it is really difficult to find a point at which to end a project like this.
Well, for this kind of project I did not shoot anything new specifically for it. So all the photos already existed and I looked at a large selection and tried to find a story in the photos. I kind of looked at the space and just tried to fill it up with just the right amount, you know, like not too much and not too little. So the process of this show is more like in the theme, finding the photos the work well together to send the message that I want to send. So that is how it works as far as like taking the photos, which of course is a totally different process.
So the message is a really personal one?
Yeah, it is like about my love or my obsession with my environment or all the things around me and I tried to interpret those things in a way that hopefully will make sense.
Would you say photography changed the way you perceive the world around you, or did you always have the same way of looking at things and now you just take photos of it/them?
Yeah, I think the photographs are just a manifestation of how I see the world. But let’s say photography has also made me more aware of my environment and it made me more thoughtful about the potential of small things. You know, I try to photograph this a lot, things that are small or settled but that have a life of their own.
What does a situation need in order for you to hit the shutter release on your camera? What inspires you?
I don’t really know! (Laughs) It is funny because I just really try to work on instinct. So a lot of it is just guesswork. Sometimes from a hundred photos that I take there is probably only one that is something I really like. I would say it is a combination of luck, anticipation and hope. I just sort of look around and I kind of know what I like. But sometimes it ends up shit or stupid. (Laughs) You never know what’s going to work so you just have to try a lot and figure it out later. So editing is very important, too, in all forms of art. Not everything you do is going to be good. So you also have to be able to choose what is good. You know what I mean?
Since we always present a concept within every print issue, this one is going to be concerned with the different techniques of how to portray the character of a person. We thought about the idea that in photography, when someone shoots a picture of a scene or even another person, the photographer his or herself is also transmitting his or her own character across into the photo. Would you say this is right? Do you sometimes see your own character within a picture you have taken?
I hope so! (Laughs) Well, I think that that is sort of objective. You know, you always want to create a story or a feeling when you make work like this and usually as a photographer that’s you because it is about you and what you are putting into all this stuff. So one of the most important parts of making art is being able to, well, not inject but sprinkle yourself in. But be settled because you don’t want to be too heavy handed. You know, just sort of gently put yourself into the work. Yeah, that is definitely important to me. So, I have to really stare at stuff and really think about whether it might work for me or not.
Do you think someone has to be born with certain innate talents or character traits in order to be a good photographer, or is it something that can be achieved through practice?
I think a little bit has to do with what you are born with but most of it is just decisions you make in your life. You know, because for me I was more interested in art and stuff when I was very young, probably when I was in grade school. And then becoming a skateboarder you are exposed to so many different types of people, artists, photographers and, you know, just this whole world every skateboarder understands. I think it is mostly about the path you go on in life. I think everyone has a lot of potential but it just depends on their choices in life and in what direction they want to go. I mean for me I just really went for it, you know. I just really experimented and found out that this is something I really enjoyed. So it is less about genetics but more about temperament and personality. I know a lot of people that are great, have great eyes but they don’t want to put themselves out there like that, which is fine, too.
So you mean that the circumstances formed your profession as well as the people you met along the way?
Yeah, I mean you can meet one person in your life and that totally can change your whole perspective about anything, art or work or like whatever, you know.
So you met the right guys and made the right decisions in life?
Yeah, I think so! (Laughs)
Could you name some people that have influenced you in doing what you do today?
Yeah, just from being a skateboarder you naturally meet a lot of photographers and they taught me how to use cameras and they showed me other photographers and so on. I would say, for example, that people like Ed Tempelton were very influential just because he was a skater who also was very interested in and also made a lot of art and photography that then again was interesting to me. So he really inspired me to keep going and moreover to explore that part of my life. He also taught me that my life does not have to be just skateboarding and that I can do so much more with it.
With exhibitions like this one, you kind of changed your status from being a professional skateboarder to being known as a photographer. How did this change of profession come about, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of being a photographer over being a skateboarder?
Well, I would actually say that I still see myself as a professional skateboarder more than a photographer actually. There definitely were times in my life where skateboarding has been less important, but as this particular time it is very important to me. I am filming for a new video and so I am very focused on it. Although, being a photographer is very important to me, too, skateboarding is definitely right now taking a priority. But I don’t really know how much longer that will last because, you know, I am just getting tired. I just can’t really skate on that level that much longer I think, although it would be nice. Becoming a photographer was also a dream of mine, and I am very lucky and fortunate today to even get the opportunity to dip my toes into the water. You know what I mean? I would not have considered myself to be a professional photographer, but rather say that I am just a guy who takes photos and is lucky enough to do stuff like this.
What are you currently filming for?
Oh, I am filming for a new Emerica video. It is kind of a smaller one and it will be done this fall. It’s me, Spanky, Andrew Reynolds, Brian Herman and Figgy. So that’s what I’ve been working on for a couple of years. It has been really awesome but at the same time really hard. It is funny, because for a long time I kind of wasn’t really interested in skateboarding anymore. I just kind of fell off and I think I needed to do that. You know? And when they asked me like if I want to be in this video I was like “yeah, let’s try it!” That actually kind of reinvigorated me. You know, it was so cool because I just felt like a kid again watching skate videos, trying to find spots and making lists of tricks. It was great, you know, like skating was new to me again. It was my rebirth! So I am really happy about this project because it gave me back something I had lost for a while.
Is it also motivating for you that it might be one of, or probably even the last, part?
That is hard to say, but this part has been really hard to do because I want to skate on a certain level but my body just can’t do what it used to do. So I would say that this might be kind of the last part that is on a certain level of skating. You know, I might film for more parts but I am not sure if I could do this again because this one has been pretty tough and I am still working pretty hard for it. But at the same time, I don’t know, let’s assume next year someone were to be like “Oh, we want you to film another video part.” I don’t know if I want to just be like “Sorry, I can’t do this no more because I can’t do what I did before.” However, I guess it would be kind of nice in any profession to stop when you are at your best. But at the same time it is hard to notice when you once you have reached this point.
We first came into contact with Jun’s skating via Instagram, as well as through Leon Rudolph’s YouTube channel. Jun kind of stuck out for some reason—he wasn’t the best skater in the videos, but he seemed to be having the most fun. His personality shined through, which is much harder to find in today’s skateboard world than someone who can hardflip a 16. Not limiting himself to the realm of skateboarding, Jun also makes music and has established his own clothing brand called 송준sky. Clearly, he expresses himself a lot across mediums and industries. Rewinding back to a couple of weeks ago, we went on a trip to Bremen and got to meet Jun. We had the opportunity to see if he uses the internet as a tool to create that feeling of happy-go-lucky charm, or if it just comes organically. I think flipping through this issue provides you with the answer to this question. In a sense, meeting Jun felt like déjà vu, similar to when we met Franz Grimm, who we featured in our last issue. Although they are completely different types of guys, they both gave us a similar feeling: that good vibe that makes you want to join in and hang out for just a little while longer.
by Roland Hoogwater
Photo: Danny Sommerfeld
We don’t need to tell you that this episode of LurkNYC’s Mean Streets series is kind of special to us, still some of you might ask why? Because this video does not only document good skating in the big apple but it also chronicles some of the best days we had traveling through New York together with Nick von Werssowetz and his crew.
Featuring Alex Odonahoe, Daniel Pannemann, Danny Sommerfeld, Dylan Drew, Dylan Fulford, Grady Smith, Kurtis Colamonico, Pat hoblin, Scott Garrison, Thomas Del Carpio and Will Blakley.
About two weeks ago we went to the northern part of America. If you are an avid PLACE follower you are aware of our adventures and thus not surprised by this column’s topic. NYC was the second stop on our trip and it is a city that pops up in a lot of our brainstorming sessions. When it comes to articles, skaters, galleries, NYC is always in the mix but the thing is we never went there to see and shoot the city in our own way.
So when Danny finally got into the city he turned into Alice and fell down through the rabbit hole down into wonderland. Now to most of us NYC sounds wonderful, to say the least, but it has its downsides, it is hot and humid, it’s loud and it smells like hot trash most of the times but it is also a great place to meet people and to get stuff done the way you want to do it. So take this little taste and enjoy the “Big Apple” through Danny’s eyes.
Photos by Danny Sommerfeld
Text by Roland Hoogwater
More KAFFEEZIGARETTE
It seems that every time we fly somewhere Leon finds the urge to release something new, the last time we were instantly hooked and the video became our pre-session go-to skate clip. This one is special because it contains the first “real” Max Sand footage in a long time! Max is the kind of skater we have come to love, he possesses the right balance between board control, a do or die attitude and a way to make any type of make a good one. Max can get away with stuff a lot of us can’t, one-foot landings, clipping a ledge, an out of balance kick turn often followed by a look into the camera. He just makes you want to go out and skate and that is the most important thing.
Additionally, we want to give you some insight into why this thing is called 2backpacks. In a way, it is an homage, firstly to Danny Sommerfeld’s skating and secondly to a guy in Bremen who recognized Danny and told his friend “Do you see that guy? He always carries two backpacks, one for his stuff and one for his big nutsack!” A classic remark that stuck with all that were present.
Every year there are a lot of companies and crews that want to do a tour or to just spend a couple of days in Berlin. The skaters want to see and skate the famous spots like Kulturforum, Naga, Polendenkmal, Bänke, Frankfurter Tor and many other. Recently, the German Converse Cons team riders Daniel Pannemann, Danny Sommerfeld, and Jonas Heß met in Berlin to produce a clip, yet with a whole different approach. Next to some of the before mentioned famous spots, they rather tried to find something else, something that gives the viewer a new perspective of the endless possibilities a city like Berlin can offer. With this aim in mind, they chose the right photographer, Henrik Biemer, who is known for his unique way in which he depicts the place he calls home, whereby he is always looking for some new ways to shoot something whenever he goes out to skate.
Text by Paul Röhrs
All Photos by Biemer
Motivation.
A group of about six guys showed up whenever we met to go and skate around the city and each one had a “down for whatever” face. Although we were strangers to them, they trusted us from the very beginning. We quickly forgot about the language barrier. It felt like we didn’t even have to speak a language, and if we did, we definitely spoke the same one. We felt more than welcomed the whole time. I kept on wondering who might have started spreading the rumours that French people can be assholes…well, except for that one time outside of a bar when a very charming young lady asked for a cigarette and everyone started screaming at her for fun like she just won the Champions League finals. Our time in Paris was really about the flow of cruising; meeting up, having coffee and finding the adventure right in front of us. Things are just going to happen if you wait long enough and we had time to spare. Meet a new generation of young Parisian skateboarders:
Communication.
The French people have a well-known love for their own language and talking in general. Speaking French is like driving a red 70’s Mercedes-Benz 280 SL Cabriolet into the sunset while on the way to the ocean…at least for German people. Our neighbours are aware of their beautiful language, and confidence was always helpful in most situations. As we took the Metro every now and then, we noticed something very different about how they announce the upcoming stop. The first announcement is much more kindly than the second one. They say it sounds more aggressive to people that are from out of town or people who had a second glass of champagne. It makes you feel like you’ve fucked up in a way, and even reminds you of situations in your childhood like, for example, when your mom told you to immediately step off the see-saw. It’s an interesting form of communication, and I kept on thinking about the moment they recorded the two different emphases of the very same word. Wonderful!
The Best Pavement in the World.
Look at the way the French people skate. A lot of them use their body language way more often than others do. They can express themselves in a unique way. This probably comes from their self-assurance. While others try to be someone else, the people we have met are just themselves, but also very special. Pierre Subra, Edouard Depaz, Santiago Sasson, Joseph Biais, Franz and Clement Bossard were just a few of the guys we got to go skating with. They say the city has the best pavement in the world and they’re right, at least if you compare it to the rather rough pavement in Berlin. I guess there are a few cities in the world which could actually claim that title too, but none of them might be as beautiful and vast as the French capital. One can practically skate from A to B doing tricks and going fast. There are a lot of concrete pavements and those are definitely the best. So, if you happen to meet a crew during your next stay in Paris, make sure to skate a lot. They cruise their way through the Arrondissements and stop whenever, wherever for whatever reason – just for the fun of it. If skateboarding had only one single crucial element, it would probably be good pavement.
Mood.
Mood is absolutely everything. One single person can influence a whole crew of people, in good or bad directions. We felt weightless while hanging with the Parisians. After only a day it felt like we had known each other for a lot longer than just a couple hours. While in other cities you might get a cold shoulder, there are some very good people in this city with the ability to create the harmony we loved to experience. It is almost like the city gives an extra portion of strength, a smile, and on the other hand, exhaustion when you finally call it a day.
Well, it is more like the city itself calls it a day for you, and it can call you out!
Time.
There is no such thing as time. It is either bright outside or dark. It is either dry streets or soaking wet ones. As time went by while preparing for the day in our AirBNB apartment, (located in the third Arrondissements) we noticed that the people did actually wait for each other and every single person to show up, but waiting is definitely the wrong word for it. They had a special mentality about time management. If someone was late it felt like it didn’t really matter. Meanwhile, the crew was waiting but they weren’t sitting around doing nothing. Instead, they were either skating or occupying themselves with activities. With that calmness, it seemed as if there was nothing they were actually waiting for. This is probably the best way to not waste time and definitely healthier too. Your heart will thank you when you’re old.
Fashion.
Isn’t it fantastic that we wake up, take a shower, get some breakfast and then can decide to dress up in a way we never have before? Tomorrow we can wear pink pants while yesterday we wore a suit. There are no rules for anybody at any time and don’t ever let anyone tell you differently. There are a lot of people who actually complain about fashion a lot. In Paris, there are probably people who feel the same though we didn’t find them during our stay. But there are people who are trying to set up rules for fashion… These people are afraid of otherness, afraid of losing control, and afraid of the new. This is weak! Do it your own way and make sure to feel comfortable before you leave the house because that is what people notice. Parisians feel comfortable with what they do and they have a certain charisma that we can learn from. We really wish that all of you guys could, just once, experience your own time in the wonderful city called Paris. We want to thank all the people we met in Paris very much and all the people that helped us during our stay. Have you seen Midnight in Paris yet? You’ll love Paris in the rain so go for a walk. “Walking by the Seine at midnight, Gil bumps into Gabrielle and, after it starts to rain, he offers to walk her home and they learn that they share the love of Paris in the rain.”
by Daniel Pannemann
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld
After several premieres all across Germany finally the new TPDG 2016 video is also online accessible now!
I know Danny Sommerfeld for quite some time now and I can tell that he is a perfectionist in the purest manner. Everything he dedicates himself to has to go through a long lasting process of re-thinking over and over again.
Having said that, it is not surprising that he left the edit in the talented hands of his long-time confidant, Gerrit Piechowski, and chose Figub Brazlevic, who is one of Berlin’s finest producers, for the musical accompaniment. Eventually, TPDG 2016 is a skateboard video that provides a very own vibe – the Top Dog Vibe – which one could already have experienced in the previous video, Street Jazz.
You have heard enough! So gather the homies, put your smart phone away, turn on your boombox, and hit the play button!
Photos by Hendrik Herzmann
It is Danny’s birthday today and we are not the only ones celebrating. MOB skateboards just released their 15 years of Danny video, it features most if not all the top dogs highlights since he started ridding for Captain Crackers company.
Our best birthday wishes go out to our very own Mr. Top Dawggy himself, Danny Sommerfeld aka the Style Chef who seems to stay young forever although he is living just from cigarettes and coffee… and well not to forget skateboarding and photography of course!
Here are just some of the best Danny moments of the past! Enjoy!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY from the PLACE crew, Danny Boy!
It is no secret that we made a magazine about the beautiful city of Paris. A big part of that issue was shot by Danny Sommerfeld so it was only natural that he came with us to our Paris launch event. So we booked return flights and an appartement for five days thinking that we could chill…. Wrong! The whole thing flew by in a New York minute. In the end our trip was fueled by friends and good times. In between those moments Danny managed to shoot this new series about Paname.
The man behind the Kaffeezigarette columns, Danny Sommerfeld, is back with a bunch of new snapshots. This time Barcelona was the travel destination of choice. But instead of shooting skateboarding, which would be obvious, Danny had a whole different approach.
