From May 24-25 the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation is creating its seventh Innoskate festival to be held at Here East in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London, England - complementing the World Skate/SLS Olympic Qualifying event at the Copper Box Arena.
Innoskate public festivals bring skateboarders and non-skate audiences together to appreciate that creativity, invention, and innovation are all around us and found in unexpected places. Through informal panel discussions, hands-on educational activities, learn-to-skate clinics, open public skating, food and drink vendors, and a best-trick contest, Innoskate participants use skateboarding as an interdisciplinary lens for exploring the intersection of history, invention, and innovation with science, technology, engineering, art, music, and culture. This year's Innoskate program will feature the collective energy and expertise of its multiple collaborators: The Innoskate team is excited to inspire young audiences with a particular emphasis on engaging the youth of East London to be active contributors to their society driven by technological change, invention, and innovation.
Along with open skateboarding and learn to skate clinics, hands-on invention activities, panel themes and featured speakers for the Innoskate London program will focus on four critical elements of skate culture.
Panel 1: 60 Years of Skateboard Innovation and Invention - the history of skateboarding and the evolution of skateboard technologies.
Open to the public: 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
• Paul Schmitt (@professorschmitt), Inventor, Skateboard designer / manufacturer
• Paul Sohi (@fuseps), Industrial Designer, Autodesk
• Ryan Clements (@rtclem), The Boardr (Moderator)
• Demonstrations by local and professional skaters
Panel 2: Skating Spaces: Skateboarding and Evolving Conceptions of Public Space - the relationship between skaters, the terrain they navigate, and architects, designers, city planners, and policymakers.
Open to the public: 11:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
• Alexis Sablone (@suminaynay), Professional Skateboarder, Architect
• Stuart Maclure (@smaclure), Long Live South Bank (LLSB)
• Miki Vuckovich (@mikivuckovich), Executive Director, Tony Hawk Foundation
• Iain Borden (@iainborden), Professor of Architecture and Urban Culture at The Bartlett, UCL (Moderator)
Panel 3: When Culture Meets Sport: Skateboarding and the Olympic Movement - the legacy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in East London and the worldwide impact of skateboarding's inclusion as an Olympic sport.
Open to the public: 4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Pierre Fratter-Bardy, Head of Strategy and Development, Olympic Games Department, International Olympic Committee
• Emma Frost, Head of Communities and Business, London Legacy Development Corporation
• Lucy Adams (@lucyadamsskate), Chair and Elected Director, Skateboard England
• Josh Friedberg (@joshfriedberg), CEO, USA Skateboarding (Moderator)
Panel 4: Innovation Driving Accessibility: Adaptive Skateboarding and the Road to the Paralympics - the critical role of diversity, adaptability, and inclusion in skate culture.
Open to the public: 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
• Dan Mancina (@danthemancina), Adaptive skateboarder
• Oscar Loreto, Jr. (@oskervoid), Adaptive skateboarder
• Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham (@aaronwheelz), WCMX rider
• Lily Rice (@lilyrice_wcmx), WCMX rider• Cathy Holloway, Academic Director, UCL, Global Disability Innovation Hub, UCL
• Jeffrey Brodie (@attucks1776), Deputy Director, Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation (Moderator)
• Robert Brink (@robertbrink), Writer, Host, Director of Marketing (Moderator)
Join us Saturday, May 25 from 10am – 6pm for Innoskate London: Skateboarding, invention, culture, food, drink, and fun.
Families welcome, access is free and open to the public