Cyclisk is a 65-foot high (five-story), 10, 000 pound (4,535 kg), Egyptian-style obelisk made from 340 recycled bicycles. This commissioned artwork was created in 2010 by artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Specto and installed in Santa Rose, California (USA).
EPIC!!!
Mark and Illana collected unusable bicycles and cleaned them up, then welded together into a steel superstructure to create a towering obelisk form.
This project is considered to be a landmark in gateway public work.
Here is more about it…
Project background
The Santa Rosa’s City’s Art and Culture Element in the General Plan 2020 calls for creating inspiring places for the residents and visitors.
By law in Santa Rosa, any construction project costing over $500,000 must put 1% of their budget toward public art.
This has led to the creation of hundreds of benches and murals in the city, along with the Cyclisk.
The project site for Cyclisk was chosen because of its proximity to the Nissan car dealership, who funded the funded the “1% for Art” requirement.
Cyclisk is one of the largest public art projects in the region.
The project budget was $37,000 and included expenses related to design development, engineering, collecting and disassembling bike parts from nonprofit bike bicycle groups, insurance, fabrication, special inspections, transportation, installation of the artwork, and all other project-related expenses.
All work was completed by artists and Grieve and Spector who chose not to take an artist fee in order to create the necessary scale required for such a work.
Architect Daniel Strening and ZFA Engineering also donated time to make the project happen.
Bicycles were collected from the debris bins of the following bicycle kitchens: Trips for Kids/Recyclery in San Rafael, Bici Centro in Santa Barbara, and Community Bikes in Santa Rosa, as well as individual donors who formed integral partnerships.
Every bicycle (and the monument’s one tricycle) were beyond the point of riding.
Besides bicycle parts, the monument was sprayed with a treatment to help preserve its color and integrity.
The towering traditional Egyptian-style obelisk made of reclaimed bicycle parts brings a sense of whimsy and regal ridiculousness to a previously downtrodden section of the City of Santa Rosa.
It also shows you can shape a landfill-bound material into a polished form.
According to the artists: Cyclisk creates a series of intersecting rhythms – a visual metaphor for the human experience exploring technology and the humanities – history and possible futures – individual as well as collective for the City of Santa Rosa landmark, evoking a “world of possibilities,” for years to come.
As I work on my bicycling PhD, time seems to lengthen, flatten and conflate.
Timestamps such as teaching semesters, due dates, and Public Holidays mean little to me as I continue to work independently on my self-directed community bike research.
But today is different.
January 26th stands out for me (as it does for many others): ideologically politically, socially and culturally as a very challenging day.
This is because two significant events occurred on this date that continue to have reverberations – and both of which have a particular link and meaning to me and my research. (Read to the end of this post to find out why).
Trouble in Australia
Where I live in Australia and around the world, January 26th historically and currently continues to be a date on which a number of transgressive and contested struggles have been brought to the surface.
Here are two main reasons society should be engaging with challenging conversations on January 26th.
In Australia, January 26th is a VERY controversial date.
This date is the official national (holi)day of Australia – what many call ‘Australia Day’.
It has also been called Anniversary Day, First Landing Day and Foundation Day.
It was on this date in 1788 that the First Fleet arrived in Sydney Cove* and white colonisers ‘claimed’ sovereignty over Australia.
Australia Day has been positioned in politics and the media as being a day to celebrate national pride and the diverse Australian community.
But such ‘celebrations’ negate Indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples who were here well before European colonisers arrived, but who suffered the brutal and fatal hostile take-over of colonisers, the legacy of which is still very much alive today.
Despite what your position is on this issue, it is important to keep engaging with a range of voices, ideas and perspectives. It is unconscionable to simply reject, disengage or ignore that this debate is going on – such a social issue demands attention and action.
Image: Namila Benson (Instagram)
This blog has thousands of readers, many of whom are outside Australia and may not be aware of this debate.
So I’ve put together an initial list showcasing a range of indigenous, academic, educational and news commentaries below for our international friends and those interested in learning more:
But January 26th is not only a day of confrontation in Australia.
*Many of us growing up in Australia were taught in school that it was Captain Cook who landed the First Fleet in January 1788, but in actual fact, it was Captain Arthur Phillip. Captain Cook had been dead for nine years at that point. Just goes to show there are serious discrepancies in the so-called factual reporting and historical educational/news reproductions of this event that needs to be interrogated and revised to be more accurate… and most important of these is the truthtelling, recognition, experiences, and the standing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples.
Trouble on January 26th (2000) in the USA
Elsewhere, this date is also infamous, but for different reasons.
On this date, 21-years ago in New York, American rock band Rage Against the Machine (famous for their provocative and revolutionary political views and lyrics) played on the steps of the US Stock Exchange.
They had a permit to play and were recording a music video with Michael Moore for their song ‘Sleep now with the fire’ (which is about capitalism and greed).
The video pretty much shows what happened.
It is essential viewing and I set it for homework for my students.
Yup…it’s (still) that good!!
Essentially, with several hundred fans watching on, the protest-concert-flash mob-recording was considered so disruptive and ‘dangerous’ that the cops were called in and scuffles broke out. During the confrontation, security made the call to shut down the New York Stock Exchange – a move that had never happened before in its 200-year history…and one that many saw as a successful, direct political challenge to halt capitalism.
These two events are very important individually, but there is a specific link for me between the two as well.
A particularly unsettling link
As a middle-aged, temporarily able-bodied, Australian, white, educated, female conducting research located in disadvantaged communities in Sierra Leone (West Africa) issues of power, gender, race, and ethics are paramount.
As a researcher, I constantly need to revisit my relationality to my research from the point of view of:
Subjectivity: to what degree this research is influenced by my subjective, personal perspectives, values, preferences, opinions, feelings, and experiences.
Positionality: What is the stance or position of me (researcher) in relation to aspects of the study (participants, places, communities, organizations)
Ethics: To uphold ethical conduct and the highest integrity for the design, conduct, activities and reporting of the research.
Postcolonialityis another ongoing tension I wrestle with in my research.
Forefront in my mind is to avoid being another white person (benefiting from) doing research ‘on’ a southern, disadvantaged community – and thus reinscribing the very exploitative colonial practices and not the empowering/progressive alternative my research claims to be.
So on January 26th, I am ideologicallyand culturally engaged and moved by both these events and ongoing challenges – and the kicker for me is this:
Although I am not specifically named after Columbus’ ship The Nina (I’m named after a great Aunt), the intertwining link between these two events AND my name PLUS the inherent (post)colonial challenges inherent in my research adds extra complexity and assumed accountability for me based on past-present implications of/for colonization, greed, extractivism, and exploitation.
Such a link is a weighty reminder for me.
And I take it very seriously.
This is why January 26th has an even greater significance for me.
So, I am not ‘celebrating’ today.
Instead, I’m taking time to think deeply about these events (and around the world) and look at who has power, who does not, and to consider my role in situations where social injustices occur.
We should all be engaging more directly, intelligently and honestly with such events.
I first posted about Cycle Ink way back in August 2016, where I delved into the bike-tattoo world as an antidote for too much solo work time. And boy did it do the trick!
In that post I asked the question:
If you got a bike tattoo, where and what would you get?
Then for variety (and for those who did not want to commit to the permanency of a tattoo), I had a look at some bike-themed temporary tattoos – many of which you can get online. These are great for experimenting if you are thinking of getting a permanent one – as well as scaring loved ones, parents and those who think you (will always be) a straighty-one-eighty. So wrong!
And the last bike tattoo post was on a very specific (or should I say body located) subset of this genre – the thigh bicycle tattoo. Thigh tattoos are unique and unusual, but for bike riders who often wear short-legged clothing or who see their upper legs a lot as they ride – having a thigh tattoo makes sense.
Bicycle Tattoos: Meaning and symbolism
While checking out bicycle tattoos online recently, I came across a US website called TattooSEO which is a tattoo networking site. They had an article entitled Bicycle Tattoo. which was aboutthe meaning’ and ‘symbolism’ of bicycle tattoos. It was interesting to hear ideas on design and choice from the tattooists/designers’ POV. It is a little simplistic, but I think it is a good entry point for discussions with ‘customers’ about what they want and considerations regarding choice, design and representation. Keep in mind that this site is for tattooists and those interested in tattooing, not necessarily bike riders. I thought it gave an interesting alternative perspective, so I have included their post here (my own highlighted words) in full below. Enjoy! NG.
Lovers of bicycles big and small are fantastic candidates for the bicycle tattoo, which can be designed in thousands of different ways. Not only that, these bike tattoos can also bring with them plenty of great meanings that a lot of people could work with. On this page we will take a look at some of those meanings and ways that you can get your favorite bicycle tattooed on your skin.
The most obvious meaning attached to each bicycle tattoo is the love of riding. Whether you are a professional bicyclist or simply someone who loves to ride around and see the world on your bike, this could be a great tattoo idea for you. What’s pretty great about this meaning is that you do not have to add in any other images or any text to the design for people to recognize the symbolism of your tattoo.
Another cool bicycle tattoo meaning that you can use is “adventurous,” which tells outsiders that you have a love for getting out and exploring the world. Even if you only sometimes actually get on your bike and go for long adventures, the bike tattoo can work for you. It’s a great meaning for people who regularly take trips to the mountains, go out on the water fishing, or even simply travel the world.
Some people will get their bike tattoos because it reminds them of some great times they had on their bicycles when they were younger. This is a kinda-sorta symbol of innocence that people can use to show that they still remember the good old days and they have not completely let go of their youth. The bicycle can work by itself when using this meaning, and you can also add in additional symbols of innocence if you want the meaning to be clear to everyone that sees your tattoo.
Another thing that can add to the meaning of your bicycle tattoo is the type of bike you have designed. For example, tricycles can be used to represent your innocence or even your love for your children, while a professional bike can show that you yourself love to get out and ride. Other options include classic bicycles and tandem bikes tattoos, which can bring with them additional meanings that you can attach to your design.
While most people get the bicycle by itself in their tattoos, others choose to add background landscapes or other images with their bikes. This is especially true in bicycle tattoos meant to represent adventure since they show the bike out in the world. In reality, you can include a landscape or some other background in any type of bike tat, but it’s important that you know the implied meanings that come with those backgrounds.
In most cases, people get full-bodied bikes in these tattoos, but others will only include a bicycle part or two in their designs. For example, you can get a bike gear or a chain as a cool alternative bike tattoo, yet you’ll still be able to retain all of the great meanings mentioned above. You might also opt to “chop” part of the bike off to either make it fit in your design or to add in additional effects.
It might not seem like it, but the bicycle tattoo can actually fit just about anywhere on the body. That’s really great since it gives you more flexibility with your design and you can make it fit where you want it. That doesn’t mean you should just design anything and expect that it will end up looking great anywhere on your skin, but it does mean you don’t have to worry about it not being able to fit anywhere.
One of the most popular locations for bicycle tattoos is the arm since it is one of the best spots to show the bike “moving” across the skin. Those looking for a great forearm design might want to add the bicycle to their options, especially if any of its meanings work well for them. The leg is yet another great place to put a bike tat as it can work as a wraparound tattoo or designed vertically. If you want to enlarge your design, you can pretty easily make the bike work on the back or on the chest, too.
Bike tats can also be wrist or ankle tattoos since you don’t lose any meaning by shrinking them down a bit. The decisions people have to make with these designs are whether they want to have them go around their wrists or ankles or have the bikes pointing towards their hands or forearms. The wrist is a great spot for one of those bike part designs we talked about earlier, particularly a gear, a pedal, or a tire.
Unless you are getting an extremely simplified design, you will want a really good tattoo artist to work on your bicycle tattoo for you. They will be able to help you fix up the design to look great on your skin, and they will be able to line it up so it works with the natural lines of your body. Don’t take the time to come up with a cool bike tat design only to have an inexperienced tattooist apply it for you. You should have no problem finding a good tattoo artist in your city, possibly one who has experience creating bicycle tattoos.
Bicycle tattoos look great and they come with some very interesting meanings, so it’s not a big surprise that so many people choose to get them. They work for adults of all ages since just about all of the meanings can make sense for all of us. Plus, as a bonus, you will find that just about all well-designed bike tattoos look fantastic on the skin. If you know that you will end up getting a bicycle tattoo, be sure to take your time during the design process to make sure that you have something that you will always wear proudly.
There are many Ph.D. candidates who are near-submission or who have recently been conferred. For these brave souls, entering the workforce at such a tumultuous time is even more tricky with additional CORONAverse pressures.
This Summer, I’ve had three particularly interesting research opportunities sent to me which I am sharing below for anyone who might be interested.
These 3 research positions are based in Australia and have a good range of topics, disciplines, and locations. I’ve grabbed some key details from each to get started – see below.
It is difficult to find suitable postgrad RA, Internship, Post Doc or Fellowships – so if this is you, I wish you all the best!
1. Griffith Uni Peacebuilding Project: Research Assistant
Project: Local, place-based, and community-driven approaches to peacebuilding
A Research Assistant is needed for a research project: Local, place-based, and community-driven approaches to peacebuilding funded by the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust and co-led by the University of Glasgow (Scotland) and Griffith University (Australia).
The project will bring together the voices and perspectives of diverse actors working on building peace in their communities to share their experiences and advice and to learn from each other. Please see the attached document for the project description.
Involvement with and (networking opportunities with international stakeholders) in:
collaborative and participatory research
multiple phases or aspects of the larger research project including:
Participant Recruitment
Coordinating knowledge mobilization efforts with and to different stakeholder audiences
Reviewing and synthesizing literature in relation to the project
Participating webinars and note-taking for Focus Group Discussions
In addition to the above, other tasks that arise may be included to advance the research and transforming practice agenda.
Qualifications:
Strong communication capabilities with proactive attitude
Ideally, in as many of the following areas:
Peace, Conflict, Reconciliation, Indigenous Education, International Development, qualitative methods (Open to any HDR students in AEL)
Excellent organizational skills.
Interested individuals, please send an email to (eun-ji.kim@griffith.edu.au) by March 5th, Friday by 3:00pm with CV.
2. Australian Parliamentary Fellowship
The Australian Parliamentary Fellowship open to PhD graduates who graduated within the last 3 years.
Do you have a PhD which has been awarded within the last three years with an interest in public policy, the environment, science & technology, natural resources, foreign affairs, social policy, law, statistics or economics? Would you like to apply your research skills in the parliamentary environment? The Australian Parliamentary Fellowship is managed by the Parliamentary Library on behalf of the Parliament.
The purpose of the Fellowship is to:
contribute to scholarship on the Parliament and its work
promote knowledge and understanding of the Parliament
raise awareness of the role of the Library’s Research service
provide a researcher with work experience in the parliamentary environment
and support ECR (early career scholars/researchers).
The Fellowship is of flexible duration (up to 6 months full time with provision for part time or broken periods of employment) in the Research Branch of the Parliamentary Library.
A successful applicant for the 2021 Fellowship would be expected to take up the position in the second quarter of 2021.The Fellow will be required to research and write a monograph on an approved project.
A new post-doctoral fellowship program, funded by the Forrest Research Foundation, will be offering up to 22 new post-doctoral fellowships of 18 months duration, to be held at any of Western Australia’s five universities.
The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in reduced opportunities for recent Ph.D. graduates to pursue post-doctoral research. In response, the Forrest Research Foundation is investing $3 million in 22 new post-doctoral fellowships of 18 months duration – the Prospect Fellowships.
These Prospect Fellowships are open to Australian and New Zealand citizens and Australian permanent residents who have completed their PhD on or after 1 January 2019. Applicants must have an outstanding academic profile, and must provide evidence (e.g. Dean’s list, university or other prizes, publications and other outputs) that they are among the top 5% of recent PhD graduates in their field.
Applicants may come from any disciplinary background but their proposed research must be focused on one of six areas of Western Australian research excellence:
Indian Ocean (to include e.g. marine science and engineering, geo-politics, economics)
Agriculture, food and nutrition
Environment and natural resources (to include e.g. extractive industries, ecology, conservation)
Frontier technologies (to include e.g. space science, AI, bio-engineering, nano-technology)
Mental and physical health and well-being (to include e.g. medicine, human bio-sciences)
An ongoing question I have posed on this blog is: How is your bike riding contributing to making the world a better place for all?
In western countries, we think little of getting up, getting on our bikes and going for a bike ride – this is because we feel confident, safe and secure riding in our communities.
It’s easy to take for granted the inclusive access, rights and conditions we enjoy – not all cyclists are privy to the same recognition, value and acceptance that mainstream white MAMILs, (middle-aged men in lyrca) for example, experience.
This blog works to bring a range of other-than-the-dominant-norm ‘cycling’ perspectives.
Some examples which are well worth a look if you missed them include:
The incredible advocacy and bravery of the forbidden women riding bikes in Iran – a group of female bike riders who continue to push to be recognised despite a 2016 fatwa prohibiting Iranian women from riding bikes in public spaces.
Since their Instagram inception in May last year, I’ve been following @blackmuslimwomenbike.
This group of riders proudly and publicly working to fray dominant views about cycling and of what cycling bodies ‘do’, what cycling bodies should look like, and who gets recognised and valued in cycling…and to raise the profile of black, Muslim, female riders.
Meet @blackmuslimwomenbike
This group is an Instagram collective celebrating black, Muslim women who ride bikes.
Their profile shares photos, stories and quotes and bring together bike riders from around the world.
Each week, the organisers introduce a new rider by sharing a photo, a short bio and the rider’s responses to these 4 questions:
What inspired you to cycle?
How would you sum up your (biking) experience so far?
How important is it to have platform that represents you?
What advice would you give to other black, Muslim women cyclists?
Despite being relatively new, this group has a growing network and support base.
They are actively involved in a number of big ticket social riding events and have instigated their own fundraiser to support a hospital in Senegal.
I find this group exciting as they are actively building community and supporting each other to hold space and be recognised as riders, they are a formidable group of women working to make change, and are telling their own biking stories in their own words.
So if you haven’t done so already, check this group out, follow them and tell others.
Background to @blackmuslimwomenbike
Friends Muneera and Sabah were both living in Bristol, UK. During COVID they were looking for a way to keep fit and stay happy. Sabah has a triathlon background and was keen to stay active. Unbeknownst to each other, the two friends started cycling independently.
Soon after, Sabah left the UK to live in UAE and Muneera started sharing her journey in a more formal way to centre focus on diversity and inclusion and draw attention to black Muslim women specifically – hence @blackmuslimwomenbike.
Sabah joined her so they could share their biking experiences and adventures with each other (now they lived apart) and more broadly.
Soon after they were joined by Mona and Rashida and together these four women are the driving force behind the group.
Their first post is an image of Muneera wearing her helmet with the description:
“We are doing it all, the hijab, the biking cap and the helmet. As we embark on this beautiful journey that we have found, You have to be the representation that we want to see, the star we want to see, the black girls on bikes in our dreams.”
During this holiday break, I have sorely missed our New Materialisms (NM) Special Interest Group (SIG) monthly meetings. NM is the approach I am using for my bicycle PhD (more specifically Quantum Physicist Karen Barad’s Agential Realism). I thrive on sharing ideas, resources and experiences with this incredible group. In November, we had our last meeting for 2020. We reconvene in March 2021. It feels so far away! I am craving some NM activity. So, I revisited my 2020 NM SIG notes and here’s some of what bubbled up in 100 words. Enjoy, NG.
Worlding: A galaxy of relational encounters
Each month we meet to discuss theory, practice and research. Who knows what might emerge? The bite of elliptical surfboards. How affects have wayward offspring. Stealth(ily) mother-in-laws. Malian master desert musicians. Temporarily captured objects. Run-ins, rangings, ruts and recognitions. The half-life of (could-be) facts. Un(re)learning sentipensanto feminisms. Personalities, prisms, passions and ponderings. Gothic academic co-authored monsters. Atmospheric political graffiti in disused textile factories. A school-child’s unexplained vomit. Women’s business from the paddock to the boardroom. Dynamics, details, disorientations and discoveries. Always something interesting, always something new. Conversations worth having and experiences worth sharing. This is what is remembered.
Alfred (L), Kadi, Deborah, Isata (middle R), Nina and Stylish (R). Isata’s bike shop Makeni, Sierra Leone. Feb 2020.
Happy New Year all!
I hope you have been enjoying your time on and off the bike – and gearing up for another productive year!
Regular readers know that BCC is not your average mainstream cycling blog ….. it is anything but!
For my first post of 2021, I am revisiting this blog’s manifesto and ongoing guiding commitment to support a range of bike experiences that celebrating inclusion and diversity.
This blog promotes positive and inclusive bike experiences
This blog’s key focus is to share stories where bicycles create positive community and environmental change.
The content you find here covers my bicycle Ph.D. (readings, research, ideas) as well as awesome bike-focused people, places, groups, and events from Australia and around the world.
This blog’s motto is: Have fun, rides bikes, do good.
Here at Bicycles Create Change (BCC), I talk a lot about gender, sustainability, dogs/animals, community, inclusion, social justice, access for all, recycling, supporting outliers, education, families, kids, modified bikes for diff-abilities, people over 60, people under 15, art bikes, bicycle community groups, returned war veterans, gardening, school/education, mobility, creativity and art, making your own trails and riding around your local community. Type keywords into the blog search to see full posts.
This blog brings you stories from around the world
Over the years we have travelled far and wide: Afghanistan, South Korea, India, Tibet, Ireland, Norway, Iceland, South Africa, China, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Uganda, Isreal, Belize, Japan, Gambia, the Philippines, Sierra Leone, The Cook Islands, Laos, Brazil, Sri Lanka, the Netherlands, Iraq, Mexico, Colombia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Argentina, the Himalayas, Finland, Sudan, Ghana, Vietnam, Uruguay, Darfur, Nepal, Ethiopia, Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cambodia, Tanzania, and internally displaced people (IDP – ‘refugee’) camps around the world….to name a few… type keywords into the blog search to see full posts for these places.
…yes there is an incredibly rich bicycling world outside Europe and North America!
In Australia, we have visited all the major cities – Brisbane (where I am now based) Melbourne (my home town), Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Hobart, Canberra, Alice Springs) and their awesome bicycling adventures.
We have also traveled more widely in Australia to showcase rural locations and places outside big urban cities like: Kunnanurra (WA), Ballarat (VIC), Adelaide Hills (SA), Lismore (QLD), Dubbo (NSW), Bendigo (VIC), Woodfordia (QLD), North & South Spit Area (Sunshine Coast, QLD), Chewton, (regional VIC), Woodend (VIC), Goldfields district (regional VIC), and bike rides spanning the full East Coast of Australia. (*Epic!*).
As an alternative to the oversaturation of hegemonic, mainstream, consumer-based, profit-driven, western-English speaking-heterosexual-male-white-wealthy-middle aged-fit-able bodied-road riding-elitist-centric news and blog sites you can get any(every)where, this blog’s purview has always delighted a range of different biking experiences that shows a greater diversity of bicycling experiences.
So on this blog, I talk about ‘biking’ – not ‘cycling’.
At BCC, I’ve covered a huge range of awesome community bike-themed events you won’t find collated elsewhere, like: The Kurilpa Derby, The Yarn Ride, The Brisbane Big Push, Bike Hack, Climate Action Rallies, Bike Art Exhibitions, ANZAC Day Commemorations, 6-Day Brisbane (track sprint competition), Halloween Rides, National Sustainability Festivals, Brisbane Bike Film Festival, 3Plus3 MTB, NAIDOC Week bike events, Ride the Night events, Chicks Who Ride Bikes (CWRB) events, Melburn Roubaix, Bike Rave Melburn: Pink Flamingo Edition, Witches Rides, Alley Cat Races, Animals on Bikes Art Trails, Bayview Blast, the annual, all-female Chicks in the Sticks MTB event, Bike Palooza, Full Moon Rides, National Bike Week, Ride to Work events, Holi Festival, Commonwealth Games MTB, Sustainable Living Festivals, Woodford Folk Festival, Style over Speed rides, Slow Rolls, Zombie Bike Rides … and heaps more (*phew*!). Type any of these keywords into the blog search to see full posts for these events.
And I’ve had lots of abstracts accepted, attended, followed up on, and presented at LOTS of conferences to share our story and learn more from others, like: Australian Walking and Cycling Conference (AWCC) (Adelaide, SA), Reconciling research paradoxes: Justice in a post-truth world (Brisbane, QLD), Bike Hack (Brisbane, QLD), English Australia National Conferences (Sydney, NSW) Bike Week (Brisbane, QLD), Australia Association for Research in Education (AARE) (Brisbane, QLD), Bicycle Network: Bike Futures (Melbourne, VIC), 8th International Cycling Saftey Conference (Brisbane, QLD), Bike Palooza (Bendigo, VIC), Re-Imaging Education for Democracy Summit (Brisbane, QLD), Freshlines Symposia (Brisbane, QLD), University English Centers Australia (UECA) Assessment Symposium (Brisbane, QLD), Pedagogies in the Wild Conference (Cape Town, South Africa), 10th Annual New Materialisms Conference of Reconfiguring Higher Education (Cape Town, South Africa), Asia Pacific Cyle Congress (Christchurch, NZ), International Cycling Conference (Germany), International Exhibition and Conference in Higher Education (IECHE) (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)…. and more (*double phew*!!). Type keywords into the blog search to see full posts for these conferences.
Promoting diverse perspectives and bikey lifeworlds
For over 6 years, I’ve worked hard to share a range of stories from around the world that centre on everyday people, community groups and places (not Aust, UK or USA) that are often underrepresented, unknown or unrecognized for the positive impact they are making with bicycles.
And this year, I will continue to share stories that are community-based, diverse, relatable and inspirational.
To kick off 2021 – I have dug into the archives to bring you a showcase of some of the remarkably diverse people and projects I have shared in the past.
Here’s are a few diversity posts you should check out if you missed them:
As I was preparing this post and going back over these older stories (and so many more from the blog), it filled me with immense satisfaction. I love that this blog continues to provide a platform for incredible bike stories to be shared and celebrated that would otherwise remain relatively unknown – and I’m looking forward to continuing this mission in 2021!
