DRIFT: TIDELINES
Photo credit: Cara Gaskell
Drift Tricks: Tidelines rethinking public spacs
Produced by Chispa CIC and Take A Part CIO, funded by Arts Council England, Together Gloucester and the Summerfield Trust. The project put co-designed skateable sculptures in Kings square in the heart of Gloucester City, alongside free workshops, free skating, a skate jam and roller disco. More than 1,400 residents and visitors took part.
Designed by Dani Abulhawa and Bedir Bekar, the sculptures were inspired by Gloucester’s shipbuilding and migrant heritage and built with recycled materials. Co-designed with Gloucester Skatepark Project, City Skate and Gloucester Street Skaters, they offered mellow curves for beginners and families alongside challenging lines for experienced skaters and other wheeled users. They also worked as sitting platforms, climbing structures and visual pieces, more than 100 people climbed the structure, from ages one to over 70.
For local skaters, the week changed how the square felt:
“You usually get moved on as a skater in Gloucester, so it’s really nice to be able to skate in the square. You would never see King’s Square this busy on a Monday.”
By celebrating the city’s skate culture and industrial heritage, Drift Tricks: Tidelines challenged assumptions about skateboarding, brought communities together and showed how creativity can reignite the high street. It gave young people a chance to shape their city and opened up conversations about how public space can better serve everyone.
Background: The original Drift Tricks sculptures were commissioned by PRIMEdesign for Plymouth’s Civic Plaza in 2023. For Gloucester, the narrative expanded from wind to water.
