Tag: Santiago Sasson

Welcome to Malmö: a seaport type of city. It’s the third city in Sweden but the first when it comes to riding a skateboard and it basically morphed into it because of its inhabitants. They are proud of their city and rightfully so.

“Some spots only become a spot once somebody manages to do a trick on them.” Danijel “Jugga” Stankovic said, looking at Sondre & Amandus Mortensen.

We proudly present to you this film by Leon Rudolph feat.: Jugga, Sondre & Amandus, Ville Wester, Elias Mensi, Samuel Norgren, John Dahlquist, Santiago Sasson, Tom Botwid, Koffe Hallgren & Sarah Meurle. 

The new Nozbone Skateshop shop video just came out. Not really a surprise because we actually went to the premiere last Saturday in Paris but, as always, it is suprisingly good. Filmed and edited by Ludovic Azémar and featuring: Lisa Jacob, Oscar Candon,, Rémy Taveira, Joseph Biais, Samuel Partaix, Akim Chérif, Jimmy Cholley, Pierre Subra, Marc-Alexandre Barbier, Hugo Corbin, Sylvain Tognelli, Yann Garin, Santiago Sasson, Mustapha Bennacer, Bertrand Soubrier, Franck Barattiero, Augustin Giovannoni and more.

It is hard to understate how involved we were in the making of this video, all our staff has tricks except Danny Sommerfeld who was hurt. Some of this video was even filmed on Place trips, a lot was documented on other trips but all of it was shot during Leon Rudolph’s holiday.

The end reslut makes you wonder what he could do if he filmed full time.

A huge line up for this 6 minute long clip. Romain Batard picked up his VX1000 again and captured all these guys having fun in France.

Featuring Hugo Maillard, Louis Deschamps, Clément Harpillard, Yann Garin, Masaki Ui, Joffrey Morel, Alban Ma Tri, Juan Renoux, Amiel Kornicki, Hugo Corbin, Santiago Sasson, Thibault Proux, Louis Perruchaud, Paul Langsley, Hervé Leroy, Quentin Chambry, Augustin Giovannoni, Maxime Le Guyader, Simon Peltier, Samuel Dietzel, Justin Wagener, and Fred Plocque-Santos.

A few weeks ago I was asked to come join a trip to Amsterdam. We met up with the guys from Pop Trading Co. to work on the article featured in the latest issue of Place. Whilst the weather was great, we went out skating with these guys every day. I took my camera with me and captured everything that went down in the interesting scenery of the Dutch capital.

Read the article here.

Video and text by Peter Buikema

A little while ago we saw the release of “Lost in the Dam” a collaborative effort between Pop and Magenta. Today we begin to see things even clearer because pop released their footage from their time with the Magenta guys. Now we can focus on friendship and the importance of working together but instead, we are just going to make a point and say that Noah Bunink did the best line we have seen all year! Ollie up, crooks bonk down, drop the board, pick it up and fs flip the stairs, great! Now it is not only Noah who should get his props, it is also the work of the filmer. Most people would have stopped recording but this guy kept it going and helped create something really nice!

“We like to skate, we are having fun.” – This is all what Romain Batard has put as video describtion for his newest full length. And after watching it, I feel like I don’t dare to add anything more to that because sometimes saying less is saying more. However, you definitely should get your own impression!

Featuring: Joffrey Morel, Glen Fox, Santiago Sasson, Marc-Alexandre Barbier, Victor Demonte, Joseph Biais, Juan Saavedra, Oscar Candon, Steve Malet, Alexis Jamet and Hugo Maillard.

For those of you that don’t know about Spot The Spot it’s an event that was first started by Frisco and now by same people under the Pop Trading Co. umbrella, this year the event had its 10 year anniversary. The formula stayed basically the same, a group of people gather together and skate from spot to spot having a session at each spot. the timing has stayed the same as well, every year just before the kids and the students go back to school Spot The Spot brings people together for one last great day of skateboarding. This tradition started in Arnhem for seven years before it started to travel around Belgium and The Netherlands and now in 2016 the Dutch capital was selected and thus saw its first edition.

The whole thing started at 2 with a nice crowd that had gathered in front of Ben-G skate shop. Nike sponsors the event and thus there were some shoes and some spot the spot apparel made for you to win during one of the sessions. As most of us know skaters can be unpredictable and that means that sometimes unplanned spots get skated as well, this year we saw Spot The Spot veteran Jaap van Marle try one of the “worst street gaps” in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, he did not get to ride away but it is people like Jaap that create the atmosphere that makes Spot The Spot something you want to participate in every year.

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Tim Zom Frontside Boardsliding in Muska-esque atire.

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This guy was raging at every spot without any regard for his own safety.

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You should try and meet the guy with the red and blue cap on and go out skating with him
he will light up your day.

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A detail shot of the ground at the “worst street gap in Amsterdam”

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Spot the Spot would not be the same without Jaap van Marle trying something you did not think was possible.

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Santiago Sasson traveled down from Paris and did this nice Frontside Wallie Backside 180.

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Product toss photos are always the best to look at determination and defeat all captured at once.

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Photos by Danny Sommerfeld
Text by Roland Hoogwater

Santiago Sasson is all about three things: ambience, communication and community. He skates for companies that represent those values like Magenta and Futur – both “smaller” companies with a strong identity. After some failed attempts at meeting in a bar, we ventured out to his office, where Santiago and his mother – who is also his boss – work on different types of architectural projects, from creating new office spaces and shops to remodeling homes and storefronts. I wonder if he ever had the balls to skate on something he created for a client. Funny enough I never got to ask that because our discussion seemed to never end. One train of thought followed the next and all of them were worth exploring. We have been waiting for someone like Santiago to elaborate and explain some of the thoughts and questions we as skateboarders have always had.

By Roland Hoogwater
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld

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As skateboarders we move through urban environments that were designed by an architect. You chose to become an architect just like your mother, the difference being that you are also a skater. What happened to you when those two worlds collided?

In my seven years of studying architecture, my vision of skateboarding totally changed. It took me seven years of studying to finish my degree and it was an interesting process for me being both a skater and an architect. A lot of time’s though, I feel like people don’t understand my position. As an architect, I am supposed to build, but at the same time, most people feel like skateboarders are destroying architecture (urban things). In reality, we are not destroying anything we are reacting with our mind and our bodies to the environment that we are in. That is why I feel that skateboarding is an art! In art, everybody can formulate their own answer, translate that into skating and you can see that every skateboarder has their own vision and response (tricks) to those surroundings. Architecture is similar. One architect might feel like using wood, metal or brick. Another architect might feel the best thing to do is to go with more modern styles and materials. When you finish your studies, you are not really an architect yet. You were taught some skills but it’s even more important to learn how to re-learn things. In a sense, you are always researching who you are, what you want to achieve and how you want the end result to look and feel.

Sounds similar to what people learn in art schools. What do you feel are the core values of architecture?

Historically, architecture fills one of the most basic needs of the human species. Cavemen used the basic ideas of architecture to make their cave into a livable space. Skateboarding and architecture are two microcosms, and as a person that does both, I find myself using (appropriating) existing space as a skateboarder. All of those spaces, most of them public, were thought up by an architect. The definition of public space is that the space is available for use by everyone! In that space, we all can do whatever we want. Still, we as skateboarders get kicked out and that is because we are not using that space in a way that fits with the codes and ideas that people have about public spaces. But if we look at the law itself, we have the right to be there and use it in our own way. In the end, it is not about the law, it is about the way that people view what we do. They see us as people who damage things that were built with tax money. What they seem to forget is that we pay taxes and our money also goes towards cleaning and fixing all sorts of things–things like dog piss or broken bus stops. The question that we need to think about is: how do we live in and with the city together? Of course, we can do whatever we want, but we do need to respect the others around us. Place de la République is a good example: it is a new space that people want to use and that is where the problems start. When they sit on a bench they feel like it is theirs, or they walk across the square in a specific line because it is “their” line. When you are skating, it is hard to deal with those things. Skaters discovered the plaza quite early on and they also feel like they have a claim to certain places at République. We all know it can be frustrating if you have been skating a ledge for three hours and some dude suddenly sits down and takes that space from you. The important part is not to confront the person in a stressful way but rather to communicate and explain what you are trying to do. The goal is to create a valuable exchange with that person, a compromise that respects both your rights to be there and to use that space in your own way.

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Is that exchange already happening at Rèpublique?

In a way it is. The new generation that is growing up now is more familiar with skateboarding. They see it on the television on a daily basis. In turn, they have a better understanding. Previous generations might not have had access to a television, let alone the Internet. Your own grandmother might look at a skateboarder and have no clue what she is even seeing, so they only see the result: people falling down, marks on a ledge, loud noise, and scared dogs. I think it is our job to open peoples minds and make them understand not only what we are doing but also why it makes us happy. For a lot of people, the plaza has a symbolic value. That value may vary from functioning as a monument to the revolution or the terrorist attacks, but even though it is a very mixed and busy place in Paris, everyone is in his or her own world! That is the root of the problem. Unfortunately, changing that is a long process and we have not succeeded in finding a good way to communicate that allows us to share public spaces without conflicts. We need to look beyond our differences and find the thing which connects us to one another. An example of finding that thing which connects us is you guys being here. We all have different parents, from different cultures, speaking different languages but because of skateboarding we are now talking to each other. For me, a skateboard is like a passport. You can go everywhere and meet other people. They will show you around their city and you get to see different places, spaces, and the ambiences.

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FS Flip – Photo: Benjamin Deberdt

You were born and are still living in a city that is famous for its ambience. Do you feel like something has changed?

Paris has been changing a lot, thanks to places like République and the new crews full of young people. Formerly, the city was divided into different crews like the Bastille crew, the Bercy crew or the Le Dome crew. Those groups of people would not skate together but thanks to projects like Parisii and a platform like Live Skateboard Media, cruising the city together has become part of the way skaters in Paris skate. The great thing about the Parisii project is that it showed the different vibes that each part of the city has through showing skaters using the city’s architecture. The crew mentality is still there but now there is a greater sense of community. At the same time, the speed of social media channels allows us to see where your friends are skating while you are out skating and at the same time the whole world can watch. A lot of brands from overseas started to notice our city and the ambience it has. Basically, skateboarding in Paris is like skateboarding in a museum.

The space around us has a big influence on the way we feel. Living in a house that is dark is different from a house that lets in a lot of light. How do you see the effects of your surroundings and how do you take them into account?

What you are saying is true. Some people need the sun to be happy! If that person moves from Hawaii to London, that will actually change that person’s mood. We as architects enter into the life of a person or a group. It is our job to translate what the client is telling us and incorporate that into our plans. The problem is that not everybody is able to put words to their feelings. A lot of times they do not want us to enter their “Jardin Prive”. They freak out if they feel like one can look inside and see what they really want, discovering their secrets. The client wants to remain in control: “You are working for me.“ But as an architect, I need to look into a person’s mind to do just that. If I cannot see what you really want, how can I draw up a plan that suits your needs and wishes? People often forget living is about the details, for example: the bedroom door, if somebody is used to opening their door a certain way and I change that without understanding the client’s needs, they open that door and start the day doing something they do not like. This “reading” of the client is subjective and that is why it is important for people to find an architect that suits them. I spend a lot of time thinking: is this what I want to do or is this what the client wants? The answers is both–it is what I want based on what they need. In the end, I am not working for myself. I am working for the client who needs to be satisfied and happy with my work from the beginning to the end of a project, which can last from six months to three years or more. It is important to have a good relationship with your employer. If I have a day off and show the wrong emotions, that could influence the whole process. I have to leave my ego at home so I can do the work I need to do. Sometimes this includes lying to the client so that they feel like it was their idea instead of mine because if the client feels like it is his own idea he is more confident in the decisions that lay ahead. It is like a long tightrope walk to get to the end of a project. You have to document everything and if you do not do this accurately there can be some serious consequences! Architects have landed in jail because of issues that arise after a construction process. The people you are working for can turn into your worst enemies if they are not happy or if they find a flaw. That is why I keep a file with all the emails, bills, notes and more. When it comes down to it and things have to be fought out through lawyers, it is not my word against the clients. After I finished school, I finally saw the reality of what architecture really is and that it takes a lot of time, a lot of time! And that is why I need skateboarding. Skateboarding is the activity into which I put all my energy, whether it be through a trick or the social aspect, it is what I need to level out and relax. When I skate I feel like I have no problems at all.

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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:

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.”

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by Daniel Pannemann
Photos: Danny Sommerfeld

The brand new PLACE issue 56 “Paris / Paname” will be available through skateshops, selected retailers and newsstands – some of the shops got the issue already, just ask!

The concept behind our current issue is to explore the booming Parisian skate scene, to visit people, who are a staple in Paris but also the ones who are not as well known but deserve a platform. We met a lot of exciting people while working on this issue, we were out there experiencing Paris with them. As with the last issue the work we do has become personal to us and we believe you can feel the Paris vibe as we felt it when you’ll read this issue.

Here’s a little sneak peak…

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Santiago Sasson “Jardin Privé” – Interview

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Manuel Schenck Portfolio – A Contemporary

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A Cruise Through Paname – Spending Time with Parisians feat. Edouard Depaz, Joseph Bias and more

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Jason Dill ’16 – Interview by Benjamin Deberdt

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FUTUR – From the Shadows

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Alex Pires “City Elements” feat. Ben Kadow, Tyshawn Jones, Joffrey Morel, Max Geronzi, Paul Grund and Sage Elsesser.

Get your copy HERE.