Nick: “Good ideas have a depth to them. Whereas if you haven’t got good ideas, you force them and then they’re shallow. That’s what I believe in!”
KP: Would you see Vase in the same line of rather sophisticated Isle CI? Do you see yourself as preachers or ambassadors of arty skate aesthetics?
S: Preachers is a strong word and even stronger is “arty”. Isle comes from Nick’s studio and Nick is an artist. There is a lot of thoughts and energy put in graphics and what we put out in general but I think that most of the time it comes down to finding a good balance or a certain feeling, not respecting an “art intention”. Also every skateboard graphic is art, even the plan B ones. We are art amateurs so yeah we do go to museums and galleries, read and discuss about it etc… if that’s what you mean. But that doesn’t make you an artist.
N: I definitely don’t like to preach, I think we just follow our instincts and not to ignore the influences of art and culture outside of skating.
KP: So are you pleased with the result as far as Vase is concerned?
N: I am so excited, I’ve got up at five in the morning the last five days! I’m really happy to be involved in it, and to have such good friends along with me. I can’t wait to get this video out there.
KP: What’s the most exciting thing about Vase for you?
S: Chris Jones section because he really went in! He might not be so known outside the UK, but this should definitely change after people see this.
N: Yeah, I’ve seen him get up at 6:00 just to be able to skate a spot, putting his back into this project, quite impressive. Inspiring. For me starting this company and having people dedicated as him on makes me really proud. But I could say that for everyone on the team, that’s why it’s so good. We joked at like we’re the boring team that do their homework on time and we tuck ourselves into bed before ten on trips… not very rock’n’roll!
KP: What’s your fondest memory from filming?
S: Just spending time with these guys. This might sound cliché, but we’re such close friends, we know each others girlfriends and so on… So being on trips was the best time.
KP: What gets you most stoked about skateboarding these days? Which motivation went into making Vase?
S: What gets me the most stoked these days is when I see kids skating without filming, or putting it on Instagram. I believe few of the kids in Berlin deleted their Instagram. I think they stopped skating too, (laughs). In a way I tried to put this in the video. I found it hard to film at first because so much is coming out these days, I didn’t know what to bring and how. I had a really hard time on this first trip in Athens, talking with Jake I realised that the only way was to try to keep having fun and stop filming as soon as I was getting mad. So yeah, I tried to do that through the whole thing. Have fun.
N: It sounds a bit cheesy but I seriously believe because were all good friends and get stoked to skate together that motivates me the most.
KP: What did you personally try to achieve with your input to Vase?
S: Well, for me it was a bit weird because I had some family issues in the middle of filming. So, I didn’t really try to achieve anything, I was just running after something. But I didn’t really get to it. But it’s fine. It triggers my imagination for the next project as well, and I can say I’m happy with what I did.
N: I guess some people might not know this: But we don’t actually have the money pay a filmer to work for us or do loads of trips. So, Jacob living close to me was my opportunity – and I wanted to rise to it. I wanted to do something that wasn’t shit! I didn’t want people to think: “Man, he’s obviously spending too much time doing his graphics!” I wanted people to actually care about it and be inspired.
KP: What’s the best reaction you got from the first premiers so far? What did you not foresee at all?
S: The reactions are really positive. I don’t trust this much positivity, I think people are not being honest (laughs). It’s funny to see what tricks make people cheer on different premieres, it’s always changing.
N: People are really liking the music which is a bonus.
KP: Thanks guys and good luck with the next premiers!
The Isle team will continue their Vase premier tour through the UK, then on to the US, and mainland Europe at some point. Look out for the DVD’s to hit your skate store soon, or download your copy online via Josh Stewart’s Theories store. Should be available for your viewing pleasure in early December.
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