Made to Order: A Tribute to Skateboarding in Fort Ord

Currently on display at the Balfour/Brutzman Gallery, Made to Order is an installation piece consisting of a skate-able half pipe made entirely from materials appropriated from Fort Ord. The above film is projected on a loop across the wall adjacent to the ramp.

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Made to Order serves as both a memorial to the quickly vanishing space that is Fort Ord as well as a conceptual exploration into the infinitely evolving cycle of destruction and renewal in the context of Fort Ord’s abandoned buildings.

Skateboarding is an act of simultaneous creation and destruction. Skateboarders have long seen purpose in abandoned structural ruins; unused warehouses, overlooked ledges, empty lots, and concrete foundations. As a skateboarder, the concrete abyss that is Fort Ord has held a particular appeal as a creative space.

For some, interaction with what remains of Fort Ord is a destructive and animalistic rampage. The anarchic feeling of freedom is expressed through busting down doors, breaking windows, setting fires, tagging and more. It would be unfair to criticize this approach, as I have at times engaged in such impulsive activities. However, “the Ord” has also served as an invaluable space in which to create. Utilizing primarily materials found on-site, friends and I, as well as other skateboarders converted several rotting spaces around Fort Ord into functioning skate spots over the course of my time at CSUMB.

I have seen these spots come and go. Buildings have been demolished, police have penalized skateboarders and others for “trespassing” in Fort Ord, and spots have been vandalized. Despite setbacks, students and others continue to venture into this vast space.