Technical Brief

Objective: to create a functionally graded coating for the urban art installation, Switch Stance, which will use concrete skate parks as the backdrop for interactive participatory “drawings” that create dialogues over place-making, on both a local, and European level.

Context: The artworks will harness specific resurfacing and large-scale mural technologies by using multi-layer polymers that cover concrete surfaces in partner skate parks (in the UK, Slovenia, Italy, etc.).

Design: The images will not be immediately visible; they will be covered by a surface treatment that will degrade in time as skateboarders repeatedly glide over each surface. Similar to scratch art, the surface coating used for the project will have poor wear, as compared to the permanent painted substrate layer underneath. The coating will cover original images applied to the surface of each skate park via on-site painting or printing (via photo transfer, stains, pigments, & dyes).

Needs: I aim to find or create a specially formulated surface capable of hiding another image underneath (care will be taken to avoid creating a slippery surface that might hinder skaters’ activities). The surface will include 2 layers:

The bottom layer (substrate) should use a high performance epoxy or acrylic (concrete stains or paint) with a longer lifespan (5-10 years). This layer can be applied via either airbrush or paintbrush (with stencils), and will involve at least 3 colors. It must dry within 1 day and also resist acid-washing used to strip bowls of urethane from skateboarders’ wheels.

The top (temporary layer) requires an erasable multi-layer polymer or bio-resin – with higher susceptibility to wear and UV/environmental degradation that would come off under mechanical stress. It must have adequate adhesion so that it is not torn off and remove entire sections. Over time, the layer will disintegrate as skateboarders glide on top of it, however it should degrade only where mechanical stress is applied and NOT “all at once.” Alternately, the 2nd layer can become transparent over time, but only in areas heavily trafficked by skaters, rather than “all over.”

Considerations: The following have been suggested for the top layer
– Mixing epoxy paint (or bio epoxy) w/ filler (chalk) to make it softer/ less wear-resistant (to scratches)
– Diluting acrylic latex paint.
– Using an additive that will respond to UV to degrade the polymer (Titanium oxide is one example)
– Chalk Spray* however the problem with this is that I need to fully cover huge surface areas (750 m2)
– Adding PVA paint or additional glycol to an acrylic to soften it

Partners: I have skate parks and local associations involved in the project at various partner sites and am in the process of lining up additional corporate and institutional partners, beyond the 2015 ECF R&D Grant awarded in 2015. I am currently looking for a researcher or laboratory interested in advising me and applying for art/science collaboration funding to assist in the development and production of a functionally graded coating.