Raise the Roof

         The funds raised through this page will be used to purchase the construction materials of a roof-ramp-sculpture, create event fliers and advertisement, as well as transport the sculpture to the Room's To Let site.  
















                                     Concept Proposal

                In collaboration with the Slavic Village Development's Rooms To Let  event , I hope to create a sculpture-skateboard ramp hybrid  inspired by the architectural forms of vacant houses. These sculptures will provide the opportunity for a unique skateboarding experience on unridden architectural forms, while proposing a new outlook on these houses potential value.

                Historically, the forms of skateboarding have been inspired by the architecture that defines our built environment. The skateboard "bowl" originates from the design of California's concrete swimming pools after a drought in the 70's led their owners to drain them.  This history has evolved to the point that contemporary skate parks are modeled after the ledges, benches, stair sets, and rails found in public plazas.  The goal of this project is to take the skateboarder's inherent re-imagination of pre-existing forms from their environment, and apply it to the forms and materials of the house, primarily the roof.  The forms of the rooftop architecture naturally mimic the forms utilized by skateboarders, while also providing new spatial interactions. 

                This sculpture will appear as a rooftop poking out of the ground, as if the rest of the house had sunken below.  The act of sinking the house represents a perceived loss of value after the foreclosure crisis. The skaters will then metaphorically raise up the roof through body-spatial interaction.  The performance of skateboarding on these houses provides a lens for reimagining the uses and values of the vacant lots.

The creation of these ramp-sculpture hybrids will make real the day dreams of a skateboarder as he or she looks up at the roofs of our cities.  These previously inaccessible forms will be made available for spatial performance and playful reinterpretation.  After the sculpture is built, there will be an open skate session. The session will be documented through film as well as the marks left on the ramp. The areas most highly trafficked during the skate session will leave distinct remnants from the skateboarder.  The sculpture will then be transported to the Room's To Let event in Slavic Village, to be on display in one of the vacant lots.  The footage of the skateboarding will be played on monitors hung behind windows on the roof. 

The sculpture will be constructed  and framed out with dimensional lumber and plywood. Grind-able edges will be coped with angle iron steel. The riding surfaces will be covered in asphalt shingles, the walls covered in vinyl siding, and the windows will be made from plexiglass. The chimney will be made from brick and morter.

I am extremely thankful for any amount of support; from sharing the page with friends to donating what you are willing to give.  This will provide a fun opportunity for unique skateboarding in Cleveland and be a  platform to discuss the recovery of the Slavic Village Community.

The Room's To Let Information

My name is Joey Strunk and I am currently a Senior majoring in Sculpture and Expanded Media at the Cleveland Institute of Art. I have worked as a freelance videographer and editor for SPACES Art Gallery and the Upside of Downs non-profit organization, and have also interned with Freddy Hill Design in Lakewood, OH. My passion for skateboarding, has heavily influenced my life and artistic practice.

My artwork has been exhibited in group shows around Ohio, including:

I Want My CCTV at H Space in Cleveland,
Melange at Fava Gallery in Oberlin,
Artist's 4 Crust Student Art Show at the Native Annex in Waterloo,
Timeout: A SPACES Intern Art Show at SPACES Art Gallery in Cleveland,
the 70th annual Student Independent Exhibition at the Reinberger Gallery at the Cleveland Institute of Art,
 the NEO Student Art Show at SPACES art gallery,
The Melt (Art) Challenge at Popeye Gallery in Cleveland,
Perspectives:  Intern Art Show at SPACES art gallery,
Build…Destroy…Build in The Vault at SPACES art gallery
& Skeletons and Colorwheels at Tristar Skateshop in Cleveland.   

During my junior year I was  awarded the Creativity Works Grant, funded by the Fenn Educational Fund of the Cleveland Foundation, to exhibit the solo show >slide to unlock at the 2016 Lakewood Summer Meltdown, in Lakewood, Ohio. I used this opportunity to create two skate ramp sculptures, including an 8 ft. x 4 ft. x 11 in. iPhone, titled >slide to unlock, and a 11 ft. x 10 in. x 6 in. pencil, titled Bite The Curb (Pictured Below). These art works continue to exist as permanent fixtures in the non-profit organization Public Square Group's pop-up skatepark, the Skate Kitchen.






Gleaming the White Cube Skate Session Filmed and Edited by Jesse Braun

Roof Top 16 ft wide, 20 ft Long, 6 ft. tall.





Here is the work so far, on display at the Cleveland Institute of Art from 7-9pm on Friday, May 11th and 10-5pm on Saturday, May 12th.