Staff Riding most likely grew out of the overcrowded conditions locals suffer during commute hours. Regular passengers will sometimes be forced to hug the sides of cars for lack of room, and it’s not hard to see how bored students goofing off on their way home might develop some sort of brinkmanship to pass the time.
Only the most brazen take things to the next level. Casino made five or six trips topside to shoot people dancing, ducking and posing while hurtling down the tracks. The Italian photographer had his limits, laying down while working for safety. He asked the surfers to film their perspectives with GoPro cameras, and eventually stitched together video, audio and still images for his first film. He shows how Staff Riding transcends kids doing stupid things and becomes something of an art.
“It’s really free of rules,” he says. “Everyone does what they want. It depends from person to person.”
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