Monster home for skaters

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Wednesday, 12 July 2023

A man doing a trick on a skateboard on concrete in a skate park. He is in front of a painted mural on the skate bowl.

An artwork depicting a monster has been created by Colombian-born mural artist Fausto at Knox Skate and BMX Park in Knoxfield.

“The Knox cradle is one of the biggest domes in eastern Melbourne so it’s pretty iconic,” says Fausto, who was commissioned by Council for the dome renewal project.

“A lot of people swing by to come and skate it just for the fact that it’s so big.

“When you’re skating this sort of cradle, it’s like a monster pushing you to your limits, trying to get you as you’re fighting against it. Nailing that move is like defeating the monster and gives you this sense of thrill.”

Fausto says Knox has been his go-to skatepark from an early age.

“Parks and communities like this really become your home away from home,” he says.

“It’s kind of like your own place to chill and hang out — I love it. You learn to take care of it like you would your own home.”

The renewed design includes ‘stickers’ by over 30 skaters, including some who have been using the park for over 10 years. They were created in a face-to-face workshop with Fausto. Skaters designed their stickers on pieces of paper that were transferred onto the dome.

“It creates a sense of connection for the people who love this place — you’re putting your name on your home,” Fausto says.

“And hopefully it transcends a bit of time. It isn’t there forever but the people who live and breathe in that time get to experience it. Art is like us — it has a life expectancy. Things happen to it, people use it, it wears with time and everything eventually becomes stardust. It’s all about capturing the moment.”

Knox Skate and BMX Park is at the corner of Ferntree Gully Road and Gilbert Park Drive, Knoxfield.

Monster home for skaters

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