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Skate break: from furniture to skateboard ramp
Zenga Bros’ Skate Break is a series of furniture pieces which are custom built to accommodate the urge to skateboard anytime, anywhere. These everyday objects, through the push of a button or pull of a lever, can turn any space – indoors or outdoors – into a skate spot. The Zenga Bros present solutions for the mundane drills of everyday life with humor and optimism, and we get to see professional skateboarder Andy Anderson put these creative prototypes to the test with his jazz-like skateboarding.
In the accompanying 20 minute film titled Skate Break, a lamp becomes a rainbow rail. A boardroom table becomes a pyramid ramp and grind ledge. Somewhere within two lounge chairs lurks a quarter pipe, a hip, and a jump ramp. A camper van morphs into a mini ramp, wall ride, and box jump.
all images courtesy of Zenga Bros
Zenga bros team up with andy anderson
In the Skate Break series’ accompanying film of the same name, regular household objects and workplace environments become stages for Andy Anderson’s skateboarding tricks. But these transformations are not merely physical, the Zenga Bros suggest. In fact, they hold the potential for existential renewal. ‘These dream builds are sculptural, skateable objects,’ the brothers write. ‘Whether at home, in the office, or out on the street, any space is transformed by these multi-configuration rejuvenation stations. Why Skate Break? To free the mind and invigorate the body. To excite the modern workspace and transform the world.’
The six-person Boardroom Table is made of fir and painted steel, with a latch on the underside which when released, allows the center of the table to open up for use in the workplace. Similarly, the Desk Ramp is a stylish standing desk made of fir plywood and steel. With the pull of a lever, the desk is released from its standing position, slides down a hidden track and out onto the floor, transforming into a ramp. Adopting a more sculptural approach, the steel Lamp Ramp is six foot tall, consisting of an arched stand and oversized lampshade appearing as a flower petal. Upon pulling a release pin, the arched stand titles forward and the lamp lowers to the floor to welcome skateboarders. Moving outside, the Ramper Camper is an electric micro house truck that becomes a multi-configuration ramp, complete with a wooden stove and bookshelf grind ledge.
a standing desk which can be released to slide down a hidden track and out onto the floor
The designers and builders of the Skate Break world are the Vancouver-based Zenga Bros — renowned multi-disciplinary artists, designers, fabricators, and filmmakers who have worked with Andy Anderson on multiple video projects over the years. Now, they push him to the limit as he tests these unique skateable furniture pieces. ‘Skate Break is a project extracted straight from the dream realm by the Zenga Bros and brought to reality through their craftsmanship. I’ve never had so much fun skating furniture,’ says Anderson, a world-renowned professional skateboarder who represented Canada at the 2020 Olympics. He is also an artist who designs skateboards, wheels, and graphics for Powell Peralta.
the Standing Desk turns into a mini ramp
Lamp Ramp consists of an arched stand and oversized lampshade appearing as a flower petal
Andy Anderson demonstrates his tricks on the Airwalk