Ed Templeton | Wires Crossed

In Wires Crossed, Ed Templeton shows the subculture of skateboarding from 1995 to 2012 through photographs, drawings and texts. Templeton is a photographer, artist and one of the most influential skateboarders of all time. During his many tours throughout America, Templeton (Garden Grove, California, 1972) recorded skate culture using his 50-mm camera. These snapshots show Templeton’s journey as a photographer and the lives of professional skateboarders – who were continually on the move, revelling in their newfound status as rock stars – and the search for new terrain to skate.

To date, skateboarding is regarded as a culture opposed to the establishment, often by skaters themselves too. Skaters are 'rowdy', 'lazy' and take drugs. These stereotypes mean that skaters are still not understood – and for some of them, that isn’t necessary anyway. Hence the title Wires Crossed. A phrase often used in English when you misunderstand each other.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a publication, entitled Wires Crossed.