In the photographs of Peter Fettich, you will find evidence of a life fully lived. A world full to the brim with friendship, pain, suffering and at times moments of pure bliss. To me, the common thread that flows throughout all of these images is texture. Similar in many ways to most DIY skate spots. At times it’s quiet and smooth, leading you through a dreamlike state of long heated sessions as day turns to night and the light fades. Bringing us deeper into the moment. At other times it’s so rough and loud that you can't help but feel you are standing there with the coping barking back at you. It’s in your face and it is unapologetic. By avoiding a narrative of focusing on traditional action skate photos, Fettich brings the viewer inside his world. We are given a front row seat inside the psyche of what drives people to create these DIY spaces for themselves. What motivates the people behind these places? The simple act of doing seems a reward enough for most. At its core, there is no doubt that this work is about a subculture, but ultimately what gives the work its strength is the intimacy we see inside each frame. This work was not created by an outsider and that’s why it is so fascinating to observe. It’s easy to pick a subject matter & roll with it in hope of an interesting story, however, it’s rare that we get to delve so deep into the relationships of the characters we meet in such a visceral & open way.

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Rich Gilligan

 

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Trial and error play a big part in every skateboarder’s life. Up until recently there weren’t any skate schools or coaches that helped you learn how to skate and do tricks. You just had to figure it out for yourself. After seeing a trick in a magazine or a video you would go out, try it, eat shit, try it again and eventually figure out what you are doing wrong and then get it right after a few more painful attempts. This attitude carries over into everything skateboarders do. And what they like to do most (aside from the actual act of skateboarding) is to build stuff they can skate on and to document what they are doing. Back in the day it was absolutely normal that you would have to build your own ramps if you wanted to skate on anything other than the driveway in front of your house.

 

The DIY culture has come a long way, from the wobbly jumpramps to full blown concrete parks that are popping up all over the world. This same DIY spirit also drives a lot of skateboarders to try out other creative outlets such as analogue photography. In the beginning, shooting analogue photos is a lot like starting to figure out how to build a concrete quarterpipe tucked away in the back of the parking lot of your local supermarket. You try something, make mistakes, try harder next time, maybe get some help, and eventually get it right. And when you do, it’s the best feeling ever – to have something that you created.

 

Because most of the DIY concrete projects are ephemeral, documenting the process is of utmost importance. Peter captures the communities as they take ownership of abandoned spaces and shows the energy that drives the transformation made possible by hard work and deep passion.

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OLI BUERGIN

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Ali naj bo to zgodba o pivu, švicu, prijateljstvu? Zakaj ne zgodba o nočeh? Ja. Zgodba o nočeh in veselju. Pa betonu seveda, gorah betona. Poskušam si predstavljati, kaj neki taki zgodbi pripada. Pripada ji čas, ki se briše, izginja, prekrit s sedanjimi dogodki, radostmi. Dojel sem, da lebdeti ne pomeni biti nad, temveč da je to točno to, kar se mi dogaja zdaj. Ležim na razbeljenem betonskem pomolu pod neusmiljenim soncem in čutim vznemirjenje zaradi prihajajočih besed. Brez dolgovezenja. O fotografijah v tej knjigi me zanima vse, saj so veličastni slavilci svobode. Avtor fotografij intenzivno škljoca že desetletja, tako analogno kot digitalno. Njegov odnos do fotografiranega se ne konča s fantastičnim prizorom iz življenja ljudi, ki jih ima v večini primerov za svoje brate in občuduje njihove podvige. Nekoliko kasneje, ko je potegnjen v temnico, se nadaljuje vzporedno življenje, življenje, ki je nekje zraven, kjer teče čas počasi, nastajajo pa večne podobe. Vsa leta obiskovanja knjigarn in pregledovanja foto albumov znanih fotografov, listanja komercialnih izdaj, ki se ukvarjajo z vsem mogočim, predvsem seveda s skejtanjem, so nakopičena občutja znotraj te iste temnice. Peter se navdušuje nad trenutki v različnih formatih, veseli se spoznanja, kako je življenje bogato in lepo, kako ganljivo je lahko obrobje mesta, kjer raste nekaj vznemirljivega. Betonski valovi povezani v park neskončne sreče. In dnevi, predvsem noči, mešanja betona in dolgotrajnega oblikovanja uporabnih skulptur. Neskončne ure, vredne vsake minute. Črno-bele fotografije, ki se upirajo zanesljivosti kronologije, pa tudi vsej fotografski tehnologiji današnjega sveta, zdaj živijo svoje življenje in uresničujejo svoj 'skriti' namen. Sam čutim, kakor da me avtor premešča na kraje, ki jih sicer zelo dobro poznam, a jih še nikoli poprej nisem videl ali opazoval na takšen način. Pretekla leta tako ali drugače kmalu postanejo ogromno skladišče, v katerem se razgrinja vsebina, ki se sedaj blešči z drugačnim sijajem. Ta nevsiljivi blišč fotografij ponovno osvetli dele zaprašenega skladišča. Ljubim te podobe. V njih se zrcali razigran otroški smeh. In veliko švica. Lepo je čutiti, da se na štirih kolescih v istem trenutku po svojih betonskih kreacijah premika in veseli toliko sorodnih duš. Čutiti, koliko je v tej neskončni mreži fantastičnih spominov, ki ne morejo nikoli zbledeti.

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TIBOR REp