Part of the Project
From the Series
According to Alpha Longboards founder Kent Lingeveldt, skateboarding is fast becoming a mass-produced business (with machine-made high tech gadgets) rather than a sport. In his Woodstock workshop, Lingeveldt is working to take the art of skateboarding back to its origins.
“Hey, let’s not forget where we came from. We don't need millions of rands worth of stuff to have fun,” says Lingeveldt.
When Dillion Phiri, founder and creative director of Creative Nestlings, was asked to nominate an object for Design Indaba’s Most Beautiful Object in South Africa (MBOISA) 2016, he claims he didn't even hesitate before naming the Alpha Longboards board.
“I choose things that have to do with experience,” says Phiri. “Kent’s board is really South African to the core. The wood he is using, the shaping of it – Cape Town is a great place to skate and he shaped it for that.”
The particular board in question is not one of Lingeveldt’s more familiar longboards: instead it is shorter, lighter and made from a single alien KwaZulu-Natal hardwood that Lingeveldt sourced from his workshop partner, furniture designer Cameron Barnes.
“People normally get rid of it [the wood] because it is not indigenous to us. So it is nice to use this wood in a positive way not a negative way,” explains Lingeveldt.
The board also represents a move towards the conscious choice of non-motorised transport in South Africa’s cities. It merges a simple aesthetic with an important function.
“Can I use it and is it good to look at? Once you have those two it’s beautiful. You’re done,” says Phiri.
