Concrete Dreams

"Skateboarding has shaped me since I was 11, especially the search for new spots with friends. We took the city as we found it, transforming spaces into our own. When I moved to Hamburg, I discovered the D.I.Y. skateboarding scene and began helping to create new skate spots. D.I.Y. skateboarding involves reclaiming unused spaces and building skateparks, often without permits or professional training. It’s less about perfect construction and more about realizing collective dreams. These spaces are often created illegally, but they offer a sense of empowerment in cities where individual initiatives are limited. They become temporary utopias—not just for skating, but for anyone who doesn’t fit into society’s predefined structures. In my project Concrete Dreams, I document this scene, capturing the full cycle of these skateparks—from construction to their inevitable destruction—while revealing the political context behind it. My work records the fluid, defiant energy of D.I.Y. skateboarding, where spaces are claimed, used, and ultimately lost, yet the community continues to rebuild."