Celeste is a skate culture fan and DJ who runs Version Girl
I don’t do any one thing, to be honest, I do a selection of things to keep me busy which I enjoy. I love reggae, so I play out as often as I can.
A close friend has just built a wikid soundsystem so I have loads of fun on that! Over the last few years with a friend, I’ve started making documentary films with reggae/dub artists.
We just released a Dub Documentary on the Soundsystem Culture in Southall, called ‘Southall Soundsytems and dub’ which was sweet and was aired on Sky which was pretty dope.
Also, I homeschool my 9-year-old son Freddy, so that keeps me busy, trying to find out what interests him and finding his calling. He’s just started making videos of his travels, drumming, swimming and tombstoning feats and also he has just started filming and photographing skaters.
At the same time Trav and I have a couple of double deckers in our woods that we’re eager to move in to but finding the time to do them up seems impossible! But one day we will live in the woods! So skateboarding has been a part of my life for a long time.
My brother skated from when he was 10 and I was 9 and we’ve always got on, so growing up I spent quite a lot of time chilling with him and his mates, in those hazy days of youth when our rooms were next to each other and I feel it’s the same sort of thing I’ve found in the reggae circle.
Once you start to know a few heads you kind of feel part of the bigger thing. I think in both these circles you find lots of creative people whether it’s through making music, art or videos etc.
Once you feel comfortable in the scene it allows you to express yourself freely. It’s the first time I realised what making videos entailed. My initial discovery came when I had to feature in my brother’s media project, with his friends and I had to be some zombie that came out of the sea and bit one of them – giving them the ability to skate.
What I loved is that even when kids were mad young they were trying to emulate skate videos they had watched and creating their own runs, watching sections, getting better and getting more creative as they grew older. Without skating, I don’t think half of those skaters I met and my brother would have found an interest in making videos or photography, so that’s dope.
Also, I have noticed that skaters have a mad eclectic mix of music that they like, I guess this is due to all the different songs they’ve been exposed to whilst watching the videos.
By being so diverse it allows people to be themselves, there’s not an exact way you have to be and I love that. I hate when everyone has to conform to a certain way, wear certain stuff etc. It’s such a bore and sucks away all of the individuality.
I spend a lot of time with Trav Chris Wardle, so his art has somewhat inspired me, especially his dedication to it, picking up his pen/pad whenever he gets a minute and the way he free hands stuff has kinda made me feel more relaxed when I try and create stuff.
Also, Louis from Sex Skateboards, his complete freedom in his painting is inspiring for me as I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to drawing, which always stops me from being more free with my ideas. Wayward London Skateboards is dope.
I know Edson and Daniel Kinloch and love the vibe and aesthetics as well as the photography work they both do. I also really liked the photos Edson and Sam Stamper took in Morocco and have booked a trip there in November with the fam to stay at his Riad apparently it’s right near a wikid surf and skate spot which will be dope for the kids.
I love the thought of having an idea like they did and then executing it, resulting in a book or an exhibition or something, that shit inspires me loads!
The No Comply Network is a sick idea. Just another way to strengthen the family of creatives and skateboarders and what an inspiration for people!
When I came and helped out at the event in Deptford I loved how diverse the art was and how young some of the kids slaying it were! And having people there who gave any kids a chance to get on a board was sweet and definitely something that has to happen as not everyone is exposed to it naturally so may never get a chance to do this.
Holding events in places which aren’t designated for skating allows a wider range of people to see what it’s about.
Also online I think by giving insights into peoples lives and ideas you can see how different everyone is, and how different everyone’s background is, yet know that you can still be a part of something much bigger. So in this next year, I’d like to take my documentary around, play more sessions and festivals, also I plan to travel and be on the buses so I have freedom.
I suppose it would be cool to do a couple more videos and also I have an idea for an exhibition which I’d love to start working on, raising some money for the Jamaican artists who never got anything, that’s important to me also some more rub-a-dub sessions raising money and awareness for the refugee crisis is very much needed