He sees Surf City through a darker lens
Ed Templeton believes Surf City is a hotbed of creativity.
The pro-skateboarder turned photographer documents his hometown in a new exhibition, “Common Side Effects,” at the Huntington Beach Art Center.
The installation, which opened Saturday, features the subjects Templeton has photographed during his regular trips to the Huntington Beach Pier over the past 20 years — using film, not digital equipment. The works of other local photographers are included, as well as paintings, sculptures and mixed media.
The expected images of surfing, surf culture and young romance are displayed, but Templeton, who favors realism, wanted to explore the darker side of Huntington Beach as well.
A young woman is seen sitting on a bench on the pier while holding a sign that says she’s hungry. An older man is pictured getting arrested during the riot following the 2013 U.S. Open of Surfing.
“There’s a chance some of the people in the photos will walk into the exhibit and not even know their photos were taken,” said the 43-year-old resident of the city. “Maybe they’ll be angry, or maybe they’ll think it’s cool. Who knows? Hopefully they can see that this is meant to be a celebration of Huntington Beach in a way, but it’s also an unflinching look. That’s the Huntington Beach that I see, and I don’t want to gloss over that.”
Templeton, who graduated from Huntington Beach High School in 1990, picked up his first camera in 1994 as a professional skateboarder touring the world.
He saw an opportunity to use his perch in the industry to document a lifestyle rarely seen by outsiders. As his peers partied in hotel rooms, Templeton snapped away.
“I noticed the culture was really interesting,” he said. “All these young kids were getting tons of money and lived like rock stars in a way. I think because I was always sober, I was living it but I was also an outsider because I wasn’t partying like everyone else. I realized I wanted to document that.”
Through his travels around the world, Templeton, who dreamed of leaving Huntington Beach as a young boy, always found his footing in Surf City, as the city is also known.
He said that even in 1993 when he founded his San Diego-based skateboard company Toy Machine, he had no desire to move from Huntington Beach.
“When I grew up here, I was kind of at war with this place,” he said. “I thought the culture was lame, and it was characterized by tattooed meatheads and pit bulls. The whole beach culture thing was also so foreign to me, even though I was a skateboarder at the same time.
“When you’re a kid, you feel like you want to get out of your hometown. But every time I left here and came back, I started realizing how unique and interesting H.B. was. Somehow, Huntington kept me here.”
For “Common Side Effects,” which is on display through Nov. 7, Templeton teamed up with five local photographers.
He said he wanted to utilize the extra space in his exhibit to give young artists a chance to also share how they see the city. One of them, Grant Hatfield, 28, of Long Beach, said he frequents Huntington Beach for surfing, his camera always in tow.
“It feels great to know that there are a lot of us around here who have a similar mindset of documenting,” said Hatfield, who added that “Common Side Effects” is his first museum-type show. “To have it all in one place and in one city is cool to see other people’s perspectives.”
