On Style

Most modern aesthetics seem to bend toward an engineered abundance of the symmetrical, the flawless, and the idealized. The sheer and overwhelming volume of this perfection—achieved digitally, sculpted surgically, cast through obsessive discipline and acumen, and very occasionally occurring naturally—runs from ring-lit influencer to jerseyed heat specialist. Which imbues the raw-boned, the disorderly, and the idiosyncratic with an equally idealized counterweight of surprise, singularity, and novelty. Obvious examples can be found in the durability of Frida Kahlo’s compositions, Charlie Parker’s contrafact improvisations, or a page of writing from George Saunders. Surf-specific exhibits include Mark Richards’ wounded-gull asymmetry as a requisite, Andy Irons’ edge-of-disaster polish, the horde of Twelve Point Buck–scored freesurfers presently coming out of Australia, and this slightly unraveled, and alluringly unposed, speed bash from Dane Gudauskas in Fiji. 

[Feature image by Sarah Lee]