SKATE HEAVEN
18 Dec 2015
A 100 year old Spanish church is reincarnated as an indoor skate park, complete with interior murals created by a well known Spanish ‘pop-subrealist’ artist.
Providing a new purpose to what was an old and neglected church, the Church of Santa Barbara, in the Spanish town of Llanera, Asturias, has been transformed into a mecca for ‘skate’.
An organisation known as the ‘Church Brigade’ banded together a group of people in the interests of preserving the stunning old sanctuary and repurposing it as an indoor skate park. With help from crowdfunding, and sponsorship support from Red Bull, the La Iglesia skate park, dubbed Kaos Temple, now exists beneath the vaulted ceilings of this aged temple.
The most stunning transformation however comes in the form of the murals that cover the interior walls and ceiling of the repurposed building. Created by Spanish artist Okuda San Miguel, Kaos Temple’s interior is awash with a vibrant kaleidoscope of geometric patterns that form a stunning display of faces, skulls, wildlife and psychedelic shapes in his signature style.
Describing his approach as “pop-subrealism with a strong street influence”, Okuda likes to work with geometrisised forms and bright colour. Referring to this project as his own ‘Sistine Chapel’, Okuda began work at the beginning of December 2015 – taking considerably less time than Michelangelo did to complete The Sistine Chapel obviously.
The finished product is a magnificent place of worship for both art and sport.
