Lucas Lecacheur has taken his avant-garde approach to surfboard design to the shores of Australia, where he is currently participating in Melbourne Design Week. Operating from the At the Above gallery on Fitzroy’s Gertrude Street, Lecacheur is captivating audiences with his outlandish yet functional creations, which challenge conventional aesthetics and push the limits of surf culture.
Breaking the Mould: A New Era in Surfboard Design
Lecacheur’s imaginative surfboards range from a striking crab-pincer design to a sleek rendition resembling a stingray. His distinct creations include a surfboard featuring a webbed base akin to a duck’s foot, and a skateboard shaped like a cartoon flame – all crafted to not only stand out visually but also to perform effectively on the water and land.
Growing up on the idyllic Île de Ré, a French holiday destination, Lecacheur’s passion for surfing emerged alongside his love for music, particularly during his time as a touring rock musician with the underground band Bad Pelicans. His artistic journey has been fuelled by a desire to meld his two passions—surfing and performance art—into something wholly unique.
“In rock’n’roll, I was always looking for a new sound, a new energy,” he remarks. “I thought, how can I bring that to surfing? What if I made a cowboy boot surfboard? A guillotine surfboard? A brutalist one? A crab?”
A Residency Like No Other
Lecacheur is immersing himself in his artistic residency in Australia, where he has transformed the gallery into a creative sanctuary. Dressed in all-black attire, complete with a leather jacket and cowboy boots, he strums a guitar in a sunlit space filled with his work. The gallery is a testament to his eclectic style, adorned with photographs, vintage furniture, and even a turntable playing vinyl records.
During his six-week stay, Lecacheur is living simply, sleeping on a mattress on the gallery floor while surrounded by the visual history of his work. Old box televisions flicker with documentary footage chronicling his previous design ventures, offering visitors a glimpse into his creative process.
Lecacheur has experimented with several of his boards, including the Brutalist and the striking Medusa. “The Medusa is very challenging because it has a massive flex tail, and there is no leash loop, so you have to be very careful,” he explains. “But otherwise, it’s a beautiful feeling to try something that no one else has tried. It feels like being a beginner again.”
The Response from the Surf Community
The reception to Lecacheur’s boards has been overwhelmingly positive, sparking excitement among fellow surfers. “It’s always an event on the beach,” he shares, recalling a recent visit to Bells Beach where onlookers clamoured for his Instagram handle to learn more about his creations.
Born in Paris yet raised on Île de Ré, Lecacheur’s boards are crafted using traditional surfboard manufacturing techniques, utilising standard materials such as fibreglass. When shaping his boards, he often dons vintage suits from renowned designers, which he believes can influence the creative outcome. “When you dress in a different way, you might end up with a different result,” he asserts. “Style is a muscle.”
For Melbourne Design Week, he has unveiled two new surfboards: one named Château Rouge, a 10-foot board with a cowboy boot nose and a forked tail, and another inspired by the Australian landscape, created by dragging a blank surfboard through the bush to collect elements of the environment. This latter piece will be preserved in resin, encapsulating the natural debris it collected.
A Quest Beyond Surfing
Alongside his innovative surfboards, Lecacheur has launched the White Fin Project, a cheeky photographic series where he attaches a white surfboard fin to various objects, from a grandfather clock to the Eiffel Tower. This playful endeavour seeks to inspire creativity and imagination, transforming mundane items into whimsical vehicles of wonder.
“I do it to help people dream more and accept their own ideas,” he reflects, revealing a deeper motivation behind his work. His artistic journey, while solitary at times, is driven by the belief that pushing the boundaries of design can lead to innovation and progress.
Why it Matters
Lecacheur’s work embodies a vibrant fusion of art, design, and lifestyle, challenging the norms of surf culture while sparking a conversation about creativity and individuality in the creative process. By encouraging others to embrace their unique visions, he paves the way for a future where innovation thrives—a crucial development in a world that often clings to tradition. His presence at Melbourne Design Week not only enriches the event but also inspires a new generation of artists and surfers alike to dream big and redefine the art of riding waves.
