An abstract public sculpture that doubles as a large scale bike rack.
Our proposal is for a large-scale, powder-coated steel sculpture to be installed in the outdoor sculpture garden at the SculptureCenter. The project will appear to be a prototypical public sculpture. However, this public sculpture will have one major twist: it will also serve as a functioning bike rack for SculptureCentre visitors to use.
Our support images include photos of a scale model for a possible configuration and color. We are currently undergoing research into ideal shapes commuter cyclists desire in a bike rack. This research involves interviewing cyclists and asking them to sketch out how they prefer to lock up their particular model of bicycle. We have also been asking cyclists about design flaws they have experienced in the bike racks they use. Once we have finished our research, we will develop a modular shape that incorporates as many needs as possible into its design. Our aim is for versatility: we want to develop a shape that is completely functional, accommodates a variety of bike frames, and also allows the user to be creative in how they lock up their bike. Once we have honed the final dimensions and shape of the rack, we will replicate it and use it as a modular, repeated element in the overall sculpture’s design. We have depicted this repeating form in the support images: at this point our shape is a very basic oval, four feet wide and twenty-eight inches tall. This oval can accommodate cyclists wanting to lock up their tires, in addition to their bike’s frame, but also allows room for larger bike accessories, such as baskets and panniers. Some ovals depicted in the model feature small hooks for hanging bicycles. An ambitious cyclist could lock her bike up vertically, where it would be theoretically safer, but could also function as a direct advertisement for what the public sculpture is and who it serves.
Not pictured in the model is the layering of finishes that the steel will undergo: differing and complementary colors of outdoor-grade powder-coating will be layered on top of one another. The final result will be visible only after many years of service: the bike rack will slowly reveal flashes of colour underneath as paint is worn down. It will accrue a colorful patina of use: the sculpture will eventually be peppered with varying marks of color. This is visually irrelevant to the exhibition at the SculptureCenter, but is conceptually important (Mark Dion says that the best public sculpture is a ruin, as it gets better with age, rather than worse).
This project is timely in a number of ways. David Byrne’s recent book Bicycle Diaries , the BP oil disaster, and the redevelopment New York’s bicycle racks all provide a poignant cultural context for this proposal to rattle unspoken conventions of what sculpture can be, as well as how the public typically interacts with ‘public sculpture.’ Further, it showcases what avid cyclists the art community typically is, and positions SculptureCenter patrons as forward-thinking and environmentally conscious.
An abstract public sculpture that doubles as a large scale bike rack.
Our proposal is for a large-scale, powder-coated steel sculpture to be installed in the outdoor sculpture garden at the SculptureCenter. The project will appear to be a prototypical public sculpture. However, this public sculpture will have one major twist: it will also serve as a functioning bike rack for SculptureCentre visitors to use.
Our support images include photos of a scale model for a possible configuration and color. We are currently undergoing research into ideal shapes commuter cyclists desire in a bike rack. This research involves interviewing cyclists and asking them to sketch out how they prefer to lock up their particular model of bicycle. We have also been asking cyclists about design flaws they have experienced in the bike racks they use. Once we have finished our research, we will develop a modular shape that incorporates as many needs as possible into its design. Our aim is for versatility: we want to develop a shape that is completely functional, accommodates a variety of bike frames, and also allows the user to be creative in how they lock up their bike. Once we have honed the final dimensions and shape of the rack, we will replicate it and use it as a modular, repeated element in the overall sculpture’s design. We have depicted this repeating form in the support images: at this point our shape is a very basic oval, four feet wide and twenty-eight inches tall. This oval can accommodate cyclists wanting to lock up their tires, in addition to their bike’s frame, but also allows room for larger bike accessories, such as baskets and panniers. Some ovals depicted in the model feature small hooks for hanging bicycles. An ambitious cyclist could lock her bike up vertically, where it would be theoretically safer, but could also function as a direct advertisement for what the public sculpture is and who it serves.
Not pictured in the model is the layering of finishes that the steel will undergo: differing and complementary colors of outdoor-grade powder-coating will be layered on top of one another. The final result will be visible only after many years of service: the bike rack will slowly reveal flashes of colour underneath as paint is worn down. It will accrue a colorful patina of use: the sculpture will eventually be peppered with varying marks of color. This is visually irrelevant to the exhibition at the SculptureCenter, but is conceptually important (Mark Dion says that the best public sculpture is a ruin, as it gets better with age, rather than worse).
This project is timely in a number of ways. David Byrne’s recent book Bicycle Diaries , the BP oil disaster, and the redevelopment New York’s bicycle racks all provide a poignant cultural context for this proposal to rattle unspoken conventions of what sculpture can be, as well as how the public typically interacts with ‘public sculpture.’ Further, it showcases what avid cyclists the art community typically is, and positions SculptureCenter patrons as forward-thinking and environmentally conscious.