Tag: Dennis Laass

Skateboarding keeps you young and Dennis Laass is a living example of it. Some of you might not familiar with the name but this man has been in the game for a long time and hasn’t slowed down a single bit. With an exceptional eye for details and a very different approach, Dennis kind of keeps you on your toes and inspires to just keep on going till the wheels are falling off. Congratulations, Dennis!

Filmed & edited by Andy Fritsch.

Little did we know, Copenhagen is one step closer to paradise. We just got back from CPH Pro’17, and for the most of us, it was actually the very first time. While we were on our way to the capital with the world famous mermaid and probably the biggest and coolest contest in the world, we got a call from Henning Tapper (Cleptomanicx TM) asking if we would be interested in releasing their latest tour article. The answer was clear, although we did not even saw the video or any of those photos. It’s a trust thing and if you know that Niklas Speer von Cappeln, Jan Hoffman, Tjark Thielker, Benjamin Vogel and Dennis Laass went on a trip to a huge skate park that looks like Copenhagen, you better put all your trust in it. At this point, we do not even have to start to explain how crazy the architecture is. Watching the video, those guys did not even go to all the famous spots. Having David Lindberg as a spot guide and filmer was definitely helpful as well, but the rest was the pure power of having a smart community with very open minded people and no fear of including all the different urban subculture genre; instead of leaving us alone and building “stop skateboarding” signs. Copenhagen does it the right way and so did the Cleptomanicx team with this film.

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

Jan Hoffmann with a FS 180° fakie Nose-wheelie Flip out. Yeah, it’s not a skate park.

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

Dennis and Tjark; looking for options, we presume.

Autosave-File vom d-lab2/3 der AgfaPhoto GmbH

Even while playing baskteball Dennis would not leave his board alone. The Team plus TM.

All photos by Friedjof Feye.

Yesterday you had the chance to learn a lot about Dutch Light – now it’s time to see Dennis Laass, Tjark Thielker, Niklas Speer von Cappeln and Jan Hoffmann in action. Here’s the clip from Cleptomanicx’ trip to Holland. Filmed and edited by Lucas Fiederling – press play:

Dutch Light is a phenomenon that has its origins in 19th-century literature. Historians started writing about this special light that only seemed to exist in The Netherlands. It was widely believed that the phenomenon first showed up in 17th-century Dutch landscape paintings. As it turned out, the 17th-century artists who painted those pictures often also worked on other assignments that fit in with their artistic practice. When researching these artists more closely, historians discovered that most of these artists were also employed by the government. They had been assigned to study the Dutch landscape with the help of early measuring tools. And among many things, these studies led to some of the first maps showing the country as it is today.

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Dennis Laass – Siderock

The governmental research missions also gave the artists an opportunity to study the landscape in several aspects. During these studies, they experienced something special:
It was a distinct kind of light, not the bright equalizing sort of light that artists in the south of Europe were painting, neither was it comparable to the ever-changing light that one might find in Great Britain or Scandinavia. Intrigued by the phenomenon, they came up with an explanation: Because most of the Netherlands sits below sea level, it was first believed that the effect was created by the sea moving in and out of the land.

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Tjark Thielker – Ollie Up Kickflip Wallride

When word of Dutch Light spread through 19th-century writings, artists from all over the globe became enchanted by the light and came to the Netherlands to capture it in their paintings. These pilgrimages gave artists the perspective that it was not just the sea causing the effect, it was mainly the fact that the water was everywhere at once. And on top of that, it needed to be accompanied by sunlight. When these conditions were met, it created a “double landscape,” which magnified all things in its presence. Trees seemed to become greener, the sky looked especially blue and the red brick buildings seemed illuminated for a brief moment.

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Niklas Speer von Cappeln – BS 5-O

Unfortunately, “Hollands Licht” – or Dutch Light – is not easily found, especially in the ever-changing Dutch climate. Some of you who might have traveled to this fair country might have experienced days where grey clouds packed with rain, hail, or snow have been almost instantly replaced by sunlight. This is because most of the country is flat, and the wind is free to bring on rapid change. When the right conditions are met and if you are lucky, you might be able to see some Dutch Light.

Cleptomanicx took a group of their finest riders – Dennis Laass, Tjark Thielker, Niklass Speer von Cappeln and Jan Hoffmann – to the Dutch city of Groningen, to try and capture this fleeting moment when all the conditions are just right to create something special.

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Jan Hoffmann – Beanplant

by Roland Hoogwater
Photos: Friedjof Feye

Es gibt erneut einen Teil aus Jo Peters Video 20.000 Leagues Under The Sea zu bestaunen, dieses Mal mit: Sylvain Tognelli, Mickael Mackrodt, Jan Kliewer, Casey Rigney, Dennis Laass, Filip Labovic, Maxim Rosenbauer, Vincenz Golly, Moritz Zeller, Carsten Beneker und Tjark Thielker.