The UK Opens Its First Glow-in-the-Dark Skatepark

Photo: Gareth Jones

Korean artist Koo Jeong A has created the UK’s first glow-in-the-dark skatepark. She had previously built one called Otro on Vassivière Island in France back in 2012. The UK skatepark was commissioned by the Liverpool Biennial and Liverpool Council and opened in Everton Park on October 5.

Called Evertro, it will be a permanent public artwork—integreated into the landsape—and combines elements for skating and BMXing with Jeong A’s minimalist aesthetic. The design was a collaboration between local skaters, Jeong A, and Wheelscape Skateparks. Wheelscape specialize in using sprayed concrete and a freeform construction technique in their skateparks, which they say, “allows architects the freedom to create progressive designs.” The section around Evertro’s central bowl has been painted with phosphorescent paint so it glows in the dark.

“I devised extremely steep, sharp angles, which would be a challenge to the most courageous and skilled skaters,” Jeong A told The Guardian. “It was as if they would be the great mountaineers that the rest of us would admire. And with its glow-in-the-dark surface, I hoped the Wheels Park would offer an experience of contemplation.”

Photo: Thierry Bal

Photo: Gareth Jones

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Photo: Thierry Bal

Photo: Thierry Bal

The Liverpool Biennial 2016 runs July 9 – October 16 2016.

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