In Focus: Rosie Kliskey
For the third chapter of our South West based photo project titled ‘In Focus’, we travelled down to Cornwall to spend the day with multifaceted creative Rosie Kliskey. We discussed her interest in Cornish monolithic sites and their parallels with modern skateparks, when her passion for skateboarding began and why she finds Cornwall an inspiring place to live.
Flatspot: Hi Rosie, if you could introduce yourself and let us know where you are from and when you started taking photos?
Rosie: Hey I’m Rosie and I’m an artist and skateboarder from Penzance, Cornwall. I started taking photos when I was about 10. I was given a little Boots polar bear camera and it was my prized possession, I then went on to study BA Photography at Plymouth Uni.
Flatspot: Could you tell us what you’ve been shooting for your project and how it’s been going?
Rosie: So I found this little book about Cornish witchcraft in a charity shop, and decided to go to the places mentioned in the book. This has involved visiting standing stone sites and other places with a lot of folklore and mysticism surrounding them. I’ve also been shooting in skateparks and the general West Penwith landscape.
Flatspot: The day we came down to visit, you were shooting a stone circle called ‘Merry Maidens’, could you explain what the story is with this site?
Rosie: So Merry Maidens is one of the stone circles I used to love visiting as a child. The story is that the circle was formed when a group of young women from the area defied God and danced on the sabbath and that in his wrath he turned the dancers to stone. But this is just a piece of Christian propaganda trying to discourage pagan rituals at such ancient sites. The actual purpose of the stone circle is of course a mystery but we can assume from evidence gathered at other sites that it was probably a calendar for crop rotation or a place of religious worship by pagans. No one really knows and for me, that’s one of the things that makes them extra magical places.
Flatspot: Cornish language and mythology are prevalent in your work, what is it about this subject matter that appeals to you?
Rosie: I guess the long and short of it is my Cornish heritage. I want people to learn and see the magic in where I’m from. If you do your research you will see that Cornwall was its own nation the same as Wales, Scotland or Ireland and its culture was systematically oppressed and destroyed. So for me getting Cornish creative culture and history out into the world is very important. Historically Cornwall has been filled with artists, scientists and writers alike so it feels very natural to be inspired by it.
Flatspot: What camera have you been shooting this project on and what influenced your decision to use it?
Rosie: My Nikon FM2, my trusty camera that’s been with me since I was at college. Tried, tested and reliable. I don’t tend to use much else.
Flatspot: When did you start skateboarding and does your skateboarding and photography influence one another?
Rosie: I started skateboarding about 5 years ago now. I started when I was 27. I think one thing that makes skateboarding and photography similar is that although someone else can skate or take photos, they won’t make work or skate like you. It's like dancing, a real expression of your creativity and that’s what I love about both.
Flatspot: Creatively do you find Cornwall an inspiring place? For skateboarding, photography, tattoo art etc.
Rosie: Absolutely, surrounded by beautiful landscapes, and run-down industrial areas there’s chaos and beauty in both. It forces you to be creative, whether that’s making art or skateboarding, you’re working with the environment to get the most out of it. I’m sure most Cornish street spots would make your average city skater laugh, but it makes getting a trick on those crusty, hard-to-skate spots so much more satisfying (at least that’s what I tell myself to make myself feel better).
Flatspot: When we came down to Cornwall to spend the day with you, you mentioned there being parallels between modern-day skateparks and the monolithic sites you’ve been shooting, could you explain this in a bit more detail for us?
Rosie: I think that they both tend to dominate the space they occupy and have similar aesthetic qualities and shapes sat in the landscape. St Ives actually having a granite monolith right in the middle of it is pretty fitting. I love the way it links it to the local area plus it’s fun to skate. They are also both meeting places for varied and large groups of people.
Photography Credit: Rosie Kliskey
