The Design Museum, London, is mounting an exhibition that explores the design history of the surfboard in
Shape and Shapers - The Evolution of the Surfboard.
Starting with the do-it-yourself boards made by surfers on the Californian, Hawaiian and Australian coasts during the late 1940s and 1950s, to the technologically advanced boards of today; the exhibition runs until 9 October 2005 and includes film, photographs, sketches and dozens of boards.Early surfers used wooden long boards modelled on those of the ancient Hawaiian kings, who used their surfing prowess to demonstrate their strength, agility and power. By the 1960s lighter boards were being made from balsawood and polyurethane foam covered in fibreglass.
Australian shapers such as George Greenough, Bob McTavish and Nat Young developed lighter, shorter boards, enabling surfers to ride even more powerful waves. Shape and Shapers explores the impact of their innovations and those of other influential shapers such as Mark Richards with his twin fin boards and Simon Anderson's three fin, or trifin design.
