Glow-in-the-dark skatepark created inside Triennale Milano by Koo Jeong A
A gallery inside the Triennale Milano museum is transformed into a fluorescent skateboarding venue in this installation by South Korean artist Koo Jeong A.
Koo Jeong A has installed a full-size skatepark inside the Triennale Milano's ground-floor galleria and it is free for the public to use.
The skating bowl is covered in glow-in-the-dark paint, creating different experiences as the lights are turned on and off.
Called OooOoO, the installation is the first instalment of Year of Play, an exhibition series curated by Julia Peyton-Jones and Lorenza Baroncelli, exploring the importance of physical interaction in an increasingly digital world.
"The Skatepark is evidence of what it means to play: to play with a real intention and very real skill," said Peyton-Jones.
"The skateborders are balletic in their command of space, speed and movement," she added. "Just like a choreographer, they define the movement of the human body, and like a dancer, they achieve remarkable feats of human endeavour and endurance."
OooOoO is the latest of several skateparks that Koo Jeong A has created, but a few details make it unique.
Firstly, the artist worked with electronic music producer Koreless to create a soundtrack to the skating experience.
A lighting scheme was then devised to alternate with the music, so visitors could be subjected to two very different settings.
When the main lights are on, the space still appears like a traditional gallery. When they are turned off, the space becomes illuminated in fluorescent shades of green and blue, making it feel more like a nightclub.
"Bringing it inside, the skatepark becomes an object, like sculpture on a grand scale, but participatory," said Peyton-Jones.
"People can not only touch the sculpture, which is usually forbidden in museums, but can use it, engage with it, move all over it, using the very sophisticated skill that skateborders have developed and honed through years of practice."
The skatepark opened to the public in late 2019 and remains in place until 16 February 2020. It is open Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10.30am to 8.30pm.
The next project in the Year of Play programme will be a playground in the museum garden. This will be followed by a contemporary art exhibition titled Play With Me!
Last year, author of Skateboarding and the City, Iain Borden, selected 11 skateparks that highlighted the key aspects of the movement's culture from its beginnings in 1960s California to the modern day.
The sport will be contested at the 2020 Olympics for the first time.
Photography is by Gianluca Di Ioia.