Rodney Mullen is an innovator. Plain and simple. He skates like no one else on the planet – mostly stationary, limited use of transition. No rails, ledges, or banks – using every surface of the board.
Growing up as a member of the legendary Bones Brigade, starring in the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games, and continuing to push the limits of modern skateboarding, Rodney has become a household name. But, it’s been over a decade since he last dropped a video part.
On July 11, though, that will change. For two months, Rodney worked with photographer Steven Sebring – developer of the “revolution system” – to create one of the most highly anticipated skate edits ever: “Liminal”.
The revolution system is essentially a giant igloo-looking dome with a hundred cameras pointing at the subject from different angles. The result is an incredible way to capture motion. Rodney Mullen is perhaps the only skater that could pull off being filmed in this way. Anyone else would require some kind of obstacle – a rail, quarter pipe, a box. But Rodney’s style lends itself to being within an enclosure. It’s more of a dance than anything else. Twirling, flipping, jumping, pogo-ing without much lateral movement.
It represents the first time any skateboarder has been captured with this system. But Sebring has used it in the past to capture owls in flight, dancers, and more with incredible results.
The flick will premier online at Vogue.com – an unlikely publication to debut a new skate edit. Perhaps that’s because this part is every bit as artistic as it is technical. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
