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.

Cachagua

  Zarosh is raw. In everything he does, he goes all out; be that skateboarding, dirt boarding, driving, building things, screen printing, or the multitude of other things he seems to be good at. Last Sunday, I took a trip with Zarosh and some friends out to his Carmel Valley property where, for the past 4 years, he has been hard at work building an amazing bowl, one 80lb. bag of concrete at a time. 

  After a few pit stops, including some dirt boarding and this gnarly, random roll-in on the gate to what is supposedly the drummer from Earth, Wind, and Fire's mansion, we found ourselves high upon a hilltop overlooking a sculpturesque mass of concrete and pool coping. Unique, rugged, and fun-as-hell to skate, the bowl is a genuine work of art...

Zarosh getting groovy first try on this funky roll-in.

Scoping out this root for a possible tail-drop. Dirt wheels open up some strange possibilities for skateboarding.

Safety first with his dog Cherry.

A glimpse through the soon-to-be pool light.

Stoke for the park transcends the spectrum of age.

Nikk takes a break in the shade.

Cachagua-land's signature brick quarter-pipe.

Cachagua-land is a ever-expanding work-in-progress. With the next pour scheduled for April, Zarosh can use all the support he can get. Check out the bowl's official site here for more information on the park and what you can do to help!