Shittycrete

We might have liked to claim this term as our own neologism, but alas we cannot. Although it means something different within that context, it has been used by skateboarders for a period of time – unsurprising considering that some skateboarders are veritable connoisseurs of concrete (and all its possible permutations).

For our own purposes, ‘shittycrete’ is an affectionately-applied misnomer, for the textured faces of so many concrete walls around the country possess an organic beauty and level of detail that is missing in perfectly formed concrete. From Bluff to Wellington and the Auckland coastline, we were always on the lookout for variations that displayed the character of a place’s geology.

One particularly fine example of this finish (from Bluff) was selected as one of the image choices for the limited edition of the book. To get the full effect of this photograph, I find it best to bear in mind the associated image of a man standing on a streetfront lawn, directing his camera lens closely at the middle of a largely anonymous wall.