It’s Australian Walking and Cycling Conference (AWCC) time again!
Hooray!
I really like this
conference.
The people are great, the program is always interesting – and it doesn’t cost and arm and a leg to get there. Perfecto!
In 2017, I presented an AWCC roundtable session entitled Bicycles Create Change: An
innovative guide to creating memorable and meaningful engagement in community
bike projects.
The session went very well
and it was great to share my work people outside of Griffith Uni and Queensland.
It was also a valuable opportunity to network and meet some incredible people. I came home from the last AWCC with a big smile and many new ideas and resources.
This year, AWCC is returning to Adelaide on October 24-25th 2019.
Image: @bykko_au
AWCC 2019 – Abstracts open!
The 2019 conference and related activities aim
to engage more directly with local issues of climate change mitigation and
adaption in relation to walking and cycling.
The 2019 AWCC theme is Active transport in a changing climate.
Abstracts for AWCC sessions are now open.
Session Formats
Learnshops: 20 min podium presentations with 10 mins Q & A.
Spin cycles: Short, fast-paced podium PPTs of 3.45 mins for 15 slides.
Roundtables: To a table of 10 – present for 10 with 15 mins group discussion
Key dates
Abstract submission opens: Monday 22 April
Abstract submission closes: Monday 22 July
Authors notified of outcome: Monday 19 August
Authors notified of program placement (date/time): Mon 26 Aug
Presenting author registration deadline: Monday 16 September
The simple acts of walking and cycling have
the potential to transform the places we live, our economies and how we engage
with our environment. The Australian Walking and Cycling conference explores
the potential for walking and cycling to not only provide for transport and
recreation but solutions to challenges of liveability, health, community
building, economic development and sustainability. As one of Australia’s
longest running, best regarded and most affordable active travel conferences,
we bring together practitioners and researchers from Australia and across the
world to share their work and engage with conference participants.
Conference theme: Active transport in a changing
climate
We aspire to promote work which creates a transport
mode shift away from cars towards walking and cycling, and using active means
to link with improved public transport in suburbs and rural towns. We want to
shift away from CO2 reliant mobility and keep people active as temperatures
rise, and extreme weather becomes more common.
What can a transport mode shift in our suburbs and
rural towns contribute to CO2 reduction nationally? What concomitant air
quality benefits are felt in suburban streets and towns as a result?
Acknowledging that climate change is occurring, what changes are to be made to
suburban and town environments so that walking and cycling are almost always
convenient, pleasurable, safe and life affirming even in the face of rising
temperatures? What does a small town or suburban neighbourhood retrofit look
like in the next ten or twenty years, so that people are out and about and
interacting? How do people of all ages and abilities avoid retreating to
air-conditioned ‘comfort’ – ‘comfort’ that is inactive, isolated and CO2
producing?
These questions indicate the directions we hope to explore in the 2019 conference.
I hope you had a great time today celebrating life on two wheels!
It’s incredible to think this is only the second year this commemorative day has been recognised internationally.
For last year’s first official World Bicycle Day, BCC looked at what this day means to the UN. We also checked out some of the awesome WBD events happening glocally (globally/locally) in Adelaide (AU), India and Denmark.
This year, in my hometown of Brisbane, World Bicycle Day coincided with another important event, the biennial Mabo Oration*.
It was a very interesting talk. Luke raised many important issues as well as sharing his thoughts on activism, racism, leaving a legacy, truth-telling, being a father, next steps and self-determinacy – and this discussion has continued in the media.
This public speech comes at a perfect time given the traction that A/P Chelsea Bond’s recent contribution to the La Trobe racism discussion created.
(If you are not sure what I am talking about – prepare to have your mind blown).
The traction I’m referring to started with a speech given by Associate Professor Chelsea Bond, who was one of four speakers for a LaTrobe University panel discussion on the topic of:
Has racism in contemporary Australia entered the political mainstream?
Image: IndigenousX
If you have not seen it, you
need to.
Why?
Because A/P Bond delivered the most powerful, intelligent, inspiring, uncompromising, kick-ass speech on racism in Australia heard in a very long time!
Make up your own mind.
Below is the full video. A/P Chelsea Bond is the last speaker, so go direct to: 1:01:05 and watch until 1:14:11.
Her speech hit so many high
points on so many levels.
I’ve been walking around for days inspired by Nat Cromb and Luke Pearson’s overview of her speech saying things like Bam! Kapow! Boom! Pow!
Most impactful for me was how
she powerfully called out those who fail to have truthful and confronting
conversations.
This is what has stayed
with me the most – and something that requires ongoing consideration – and action.
In her speech, A/P Bond said ‘In my being, I refuse to bear false witness to these lies.’ Such statements reminds us there is much work to do – and it is everyone’s responsibility to take action and call out racism.
Husband, Nina and Assoc. Prof. Chelsea Bond at the 2019 Mabo Oration, Brisbane.
So, imagine our delight when, on World Bicycle Day at the Mabo Oration, husband and I ran into A/P Chelsea Bond!
OMG!
Shameless academic fanning ensued.
The oration had just concluded and we were all leaving the auditorium when we passed her. Husband spotted her and I took the initative to introduce ourselves and have a chat.
A/P Bond was very accommodating. She was happy to have a good chat and take a photo. We told her how significant her speech had been for us and we talked about how different people have responded to it.
We can home – elated, thrilled, humbled and exhausted.
It had been a day full of culture, challenges, activism and insights.
Without a doubt, World Bicycle Day 2019 has been the most rewarding and motivating.
I hope you had an equally thought-provoking and stimulating day!
Luke Pearson taking questions after his 2019 Mabo Oration.Image: IndigenousX
*The Mabo Oration is a biennial event organised by the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland and QPAC. It is the Commission’s public commitment to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Queensland. It celebrates and pays tribute to Eddie Mabo and the landmark High Court decision which legally recognised that Indigenous people had a special relationship to the land that existed prior to colonisation. The first Mabo Oration was on 3 June 2005 and this year, the guest speaker was Noel Pearson.
I’m still recovering from BikeHack19! It was intensive, fun and interesting for many reasons. I’m constantly being asked ..What happened?! So, here’s a summary snapshot of each day at BikeHack19. Congrats to all involved. Well done all! NG.
There were 90+ people, 79 hackers, 26 pitches, 13 final teams, 3 business development masterclasses, 3 mentor round-robin sessions and 1 customer focus group (30 pax) and a final pitch to an expert panel of 4 judges who decided on the prize winners. PHEW!
There was $25,000 in prize money for the 4 main categories as well as other additional prizes.
The event was facilitated by Aaron Kirby who did a great job of keeping all the teams motivated and on task all weekend. At this stage, Aaron ran participants through a warm-up game Is that your personality in your pocket? – a fun activity to get the hackers interacting and set the scene well for the ideas pitch and team formation yet to come.
A quick aside note..during the weekend, Aaron also set an additional challenge for hackers to: connect with 10 people, teach someone a skill, stay involved and build something awesome – another great way to mingle and share skills with other teams.
After the warm-up game, was the initial ideas pitch.
This is an important element of hackathons because its where hackers get to share their ideas – and its the first time other participants hear and chose what projects they might want to work on for the rest of the weekend.
Overall, there were 28 1-minute ideas pitched to the audience. Below are my quick notes on each idea and the pitches with a star next to them ended up forming teams that night (with others teams being added on Saturday).
Image: TMR Qld
If you’ve not been to hackathon, the 1-min pitches briefly detail who you are, what your idea is, the name of the project (if you have one) and who is needed for the team to make it happen.
We then got to vote for our favourite 3 ideas and started forming teams.
Some of the teams and people changed, joined, splintered and morphed over the next 12 hours until the teams were fully set by 10 am Saturday.
Then it was game on.
Image: @TMRQld
Saturday – Day 2: Development
After an 8 am breakfast, teams got started working on their projects.
It was an intense day.
Many teams were still getting to know each other, as well as running around the city (and online), doing customer validations, continuing research, and developing and consolidating what their actual project/idea was.
From 8.30am until 6 pm, teams had a series of startup workshops (like how to use a Lean Startup model, Facebook Ads, and the event Slack platform) and a constant round-robin of consultation with mentors, industry experts, sponsors and subject matter experts.
Each mentor session added an extra layer of complexity, understanding and reality to the projects. Mentor whiplash!
At different stage throughout the day, people were running in and out of the building – hackers were busy interviewing would-be customers, making phone calls, pivoting on their ideas, tweaking concepts, mocking up product trials, sending out online surveys, designing pilots, making AV documentation, calling in favours – oh yeah…and voting in the election!
At 6 pm, all the teams had 10 mins each to
explain their ideas to a focus group of 30 people who gave immediate feedback
and asked questions – everyone was exhausted by this stage.
BikeBuddy Sunday morning ride into BikeHack19. Nina, Eric and Victor.
Sunday – Day 3: Final Day
After another early start, the morning sessions included a workshop on the final pitch and another series of last-minute mentor meetings to finalise ideas.
By lunch, all teams were working on final pitch rehearsal and preparation.
At 3 pm, all worked stopped. All team PPTs were submitted.
Guests started arriving for the final 4pm panel presentation.
For final pitches, each team had a 5-min to present with a PPT (and other realia or prototypes) to a panel of 4 judges.
It was a real honour to receive the Spirit of the Hack Award. It was a little embarrassing when the Aaron asked the whole room to stand up and point to the person they think embodied the spirit of the event – and everyone pointed to me! I was awarded it for helping other teams, being enthusiastic and having a passion for getting more people on bikes – of course!
Beyond BikeHack19
This BikeHack event must have been a massive effort to get organised.
As a participant, I was impressed by how available and supportive the organisers and sponsors were over the whole weekend.
Congrats and thanks to all!
A massive big thank you to
the amazing sponsors, organisers, mentors and volunteers who made this weekend
possible.
This includes event organisers Fishburners Sarah and Issac who were particularly outstanding. Sarah I will not forget your stairwell help! Fishburners supplies a brilliant range of inspiration, collection and connection to support tech startups including a collaborative office space in Brisbane.
Aurecon supplied their amazing office
for the event. It was an absolute delight being able to work in their office
space – thank you!
The TMR Queensland staff were always on hand to answer questions and help out where and whenever they were needed.
I think all the teams did really well and as a participant I can appreciate all the extra hard work behind the scenes that no-one else sees. I also commend all the teams on their final pitches – it is such a difficult thing to do.
Overall it was an epic event. The weekend was full of the necessary ups and downs that come with hackathons, startups and working with new people.
A big congrats to all the hackers who participated and gave their time, skills, ideas and energy to help explore ideas get more people on bikes more often in Queensland.
The joy of being a cycling mum. Image: Trek Cycles
Today is Mother’s Day.
The idea of Mother’s Day is to honour mothers for all they have done.
Traditionally, family members give flowers, cards and gifts, or make mums breakfast in bed or take them out for lunch. Or something that is similarly supportive and nice.
I went online to see what was being peddled specifically for ‘cycling mums’.
I expected to see the normal product-pushing commercial crap (which was all there of course), but then I saw an article I found very disturbing.
It was on BikeRoar, a website touted as being an independent product resource website devoted to helping cyclists #BuyLocal – fair enough.
Published last year under the section heading TECH TIPS, it was written by Australian cyclist Jayne Rutter and titled 11 Mother’s Day gifts for cycling mums.
The list of 11 gift ideas looked innocent enough.
The first item was a water bottle.
The second was a free massage.
The third was a book.
The fourth ‘a 2-hour leave pass from the kids’ to ride to a local café
The fifth was a Run Angel Personal Safety Device
…………..and it was the last one that stopped me.
Image: BikeRoar’s #5 top gift for Mothers Day
I didn’t read on.
There is so much wrong with this list.
First, the article is listed under ‘Tech Tips’. It has 11 items, but only one (#5 above) is actually a tech product. There is a Garmin mount (#6), but not the actual Garmin. Odd. I sincerely hope this is not because of some preconditioned, subtle, habitual, gender stereotype like women aren’t good at tech…. 1 out of 11?
But more than that, it was the actual product #5 itself I found unsettling.
I appreciate that this product comes from a place of concern.
But its very existence is a recognition that abuse of women is so widespread that no woman is safe – at any time.
Violence against women has become so commonplace that giving a personal safety alarm to our mothers is one of the top five gifts we can get her. Really? Top five. I find that so disturbing.
Have we become so accepting and desensitised that violence against women occurs so regularly that we are equipping our mothers with panic alarms – for when they ride their bikes in broad day light!
What the hell!!
Do you know any male cyclists who wear
panic alarms?
I find it disconcerting that most people would not see, or question how disempowering for women this seemingly harmless Mother’s Day list and the giving of a personal alarm is. And therein lies the issue.
Female bike riders are at risk
It can be hard to recognise and understand the
scale of abuse women experience.
Women face physical and sexual abuse all the time.
Women constantly get unwanted comments, looks, sniggers, honks and disparaging, offensive, sexualised remarks like ‘I’d hold a knife to that’ (said by two men walking past Laura Bates*). We live in a society where ‘I feel rapey’ t-shirts are now sold on Ebay.*
It can be challenging for the amazing men
in our lives to understand the extent and danger to physical safety that just being
a female is.
Just because you might not see it or experience
it yourself, does not mean it is not happening.
Women routinely feel unsafe. We live in a culture where women are culturally trained to fear men, being outside, being mobile, being in public and being alone.
Verbal attacks, sexual assault, rape and street harassment are commonplace. Just ask a female friend or family member about getting public transport after dark.
Aside from all these issues, the personal alarm is also problematic because it puts the responsibility of criminal behaviour on the (would-be) victims. Women. As Laura Kipnis points out “I can think of no better way to subjugate women than to convince us that assault is around every corner”.
We place the responsibility of persistent and immediate danger on women, who then restrict their movements, reduce activities and live in a perpetual state of anxiety. That’s control.
Yup, the epitome of a modern, free, independent
woman.
Another issue is that the personal alarm suggests that women are unsafe only when out of the house – like when riding a bike – and that attacks are only perpetrated on the street by strangers. Yes, this happens a lot, but it is not the full picture.
The idea that women are only unsafe in public is a fallacy.
A Personal Safety Survey conducted in 2012 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics indicated that most instances of violence against women were perpetrated by someone known to them: around 74% of women who had experienced violence in the last 12 months, and 87% of women who had experienced violence since the age of 15, reported that the perpetrator was someone they know.[8]
Image: Lyndsay Williams. The Toronto Star.
Abuse of female cyclists occurs every day
Women know this abuse happens, but sadly, most men are unaware of the extent and impact gender and sexual harassment have on females and female cyclists.
A few recent news pieces have tried to
highlight the issue:
I am angry that the happiness and warmth that should be the focus for Mother’s Day is undermined by seemingly ‘nice and thoughtful’ gifts which are actually unchecked, unspoken and unseen consequences of the misogynistic control and abuse of women.
Perhaps a more apt sentiment for today is Happy Fearful Mother’s Day Cycling Mums!
I have hope though.
There are many amazing women and men who call out any behaviour that would make a mother, any woman, or any person, feel uncomfortable.
I salute these people.
I hope our cycling community shows it’s strength, voice and action to make sure ALL riders, including women, are made to feel welcomed, safe and respected every time they ride.
Perhaps then, we’ll have no need of panic alarms for female cyclists.
Here’s to hoping.
Have a safe Mother’s Day all.
Resources:
*Bates, L. (2018). Misogynation: The True Scale of Sexism. London, UK: Simon and Schuster.
My last post was an invitation to Brisbane’s upcoming BikeHack19 event. I have had a lot of interesting responses and conversations with friends and colleagues about this event and suggestions for pitches.
I asked Alison Turner, a dear friend, if she would like to come to BikeHack19 with me.
Alison and I have worked on a number of creative projects before. She not only has a head for business and project managing, but she is a skilled artist in her own right and I have called on her (many times!) when working on this-or-that thing either to cast her discerning eye over an idea, to practically help solve a design issue or just to join in making whatever it is I’m working on.
She is great company, a skilled artist, a flexible thinker and killer at scrabble – everything you want in a project buddy!
Unfortunately though, Alison can’t come to
BikeHack19.
But the offer got her thinking.
Alison worked for Australia Sailing for many years and was in charge of training and increasing participation in sailing in Queensland. So unbeknownst to me, she set her business prowess and program insights to good work. After doing some research of her own, she used her experience promoting sailing participation to the BikeHack19 cycling challenge and brainstormed some ideas.
The next time I saw Alison, she presented
me with her brainstorm (see below) and explained it in detail – it was spot on.
Alison and her BikeHack19 brainstorm.
We chatted about the similarities in crossover
of participation issues between sailing and cycling – and how much transferability
there was between the two sports.
I love having people like Alison in our community.
She is an example of those who not only freely give their time and ideas to friends,
but who are equally excited to apply the same effort and passion to building a
more cohesive and active community – what a gift!
I am very appreciative to Alison.
Thanks so much for your ideas and time!
I will definitely be taking these ideas to
BikeHack19.
Brisbane is hosting Australia’s first-ever hackathon about bike
riding BikeHack19 later this month.
In a similar vein to a 3 Day Start Up or tech Hackathons, this event is focused on solving a problem. In this case, the cycling challenge is…..
How can bike riding be more accessible and appealing in
Queensland so people ride bikes more often?
This event is not focused on changing policy, but it is an exploration
of any other possibilities that could include bike tech, gamification, design,
data, support services or new business ideas.
Anyone over the age of 18 can participate as long as they
are not a government employee.
When I went earlier this week to
BikeHack19’s info night, I was sitting next to a tech start-up entrepreneur
on one side and an engineer on the other. Other people I spoke to came from widely
diverse backgrounds including sociologists, researchers, students, town
planners, public health academics and programmers. I was surprised at how few
cyclists there were.
Here’s the event schedule.
BikeHack19 is promoted as being an opportunity to meet new
people and expand networks. As well as working with fellow hackers in teams over
the weekend to process their ideas, there are also industry experts, advisors
and funders on hand to suggest and mentor teams throughout the process.
Previously, I participated in a 3 Day Start-Up (3DS) intensive which ran 40 Griffith PhD
candidates through an entrepreneurial practical intensive on how to develop aspects
of their PhD research into a start-up business. It was fun, but very intense. Five
key reflections emerged for me from my 3DS experience – insights that I will need
to revisit as I consider if I will participate in BikeHack19.
To help focus and refine ideas, the organisers commissioned Enhance Research
to look into the issue using a 3-phase research design. They collated findings
into 3 ‘profiles’ on the common type of bike riders in Queensland and their
motivation.
These profiles (see them below) inform the three challenge categories and can be used as a stimulus ‘target market’ for the teams.
Cash Prizes
Overall,
there is $25,000 in prize money – much more than other similar events.
The $25,000 is divided into four cash prizes.
Overall team with best idea: – $10,000
One (1) overall winner prize of $10,000 for ‘best overall idea’ and three category winner prizes ($5,000 each) will go to the teams that come up the best ideas that address each of the three categories:
Active
Transport – $5,000 prize
Happy,
Healthy Families – $5,000 prize
Tourism
and Recreation – $5,000 prize
Winners will be determined by a judging panel on the Sunday
night. Prize money will be distributed to each member of the winning team,
equally with no
strings attached.
What is expected by the end of the weekend?
There are no hard and fast rules on what is expected as a finished ‘product’
to be pitched in the final presentation on Sunday evening. The focus is more
on teams working through stages of ideation, process and development of solutions
to the challenge.
So if you have an idea about how to get more Queenslanders on bicycles – check out BikeHack19 and pitch your idea.
Who knows maybe your idea will win!
To be part of BikeHack19 will cost you $30. Register here
I’ve never been to Six Day cycling event before. I was there at the invitation of World Bicycle Relief (Australia). It was my pleasure to help them out for the event. Not only was I supporting a good cause, but I got to watch some incredible racing, meet my favourite inter/national cyclists, chat with some big-wigs and mingle with cycling-mad punters all night! Horray!
The Anna Meares Velodrome is the perfect stadium for this kind of event. I was stoked to see some of the world’s best track cyclists in live action – especially how they whiz so confidently around the 48-degree velodrome banks – eck!
There are excellent views and seating all around the outside of the track as well as a walk tunnel that went under the velodrome and let you into the centre. Inside the velodrome, there was a bar, a few trade exhibitions, the DJ stage, the podium/race ramp, and activities on one side, and the athletes compound on the other.
As support of the riders and in the spirit of the event, I wore my recycled bicycle parts and inner-tube outfit. This outfit includes a cog steampunk-style hat, a bodice of inner tubes interwoven across the front, a bike chain chandelier belted skirt and a necklace of made of inner tubes and BMX parts. A genuine (be)spoke outfit! (*aw dad!*). It was the perfect thing to wear. Lots of people stopped to ask about it and see the details. It was lovely to see how much people appreciated the effort, materials and appropriacy of the outfit for the event.
Image: Six Day Series
The music and light show was an unexpected bonus. The DJ played a continuous stream of banging beats supported by impressive party-style lighting. The whole overall effect was like being in the ultimate sports-and-dance club = a very exciting party atmosphere. People were even dancing. Beers, Beats and Bikes!
The place was packed each day. There were families, couples, groups of friends and kids galore. I talked to people who had come diligently every day and others who had no idea what the event was but had been given a ticket so came along to check it out. Everyone agreed it was a wonderful format to experience cycling. The atmosphere as electric, the races were so close you couldn’t help but be affected by the environment, excitement and energy of the action.
I also had the chance to chat with a few of my favorite Aussie cyclists like Amy Cure and Olympian Shane Perkins. Considering they had just finished racing and had much to do (and lots of people to talk to), I was impressed that they still made time to come into the crowd and mingle, have a chat and hang out with some of their fans after racing. What true champs!
The race formats included various scratch and points races including Madison, Elimination, Derny Racing, Women’s Omnium, 200m Time Trials and Kirin. Some of the formats like the Madison were new to me, but after I understood what it entailed (see video below), the racing took on a whole new intensity.
Cyclists like Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins and Australian superstars Callum Scotson and nine-time World Champion Cameron Meyer (who won the Six Day London event in 2017) have competed at the European Six Day Series.
I had a brilliant time and will definitely go again.
A huge thank you to Dagmar, Ali, Scott and World Bicycle Relief for the opportunity to go to this event and for making my time there so enjoyable.
Amy Cure and I with one of World Bicycle Relief’s Buffalo BikesImage: Six Day SeriesImage: Six Day Series
This guest blog post by Jen Sheean is about the Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival. Onthe night, The Style over Speed crew rode from Brisbane city to the cinema at St Lucia, where the incredible cycOZ performed an infectious bicycle-inspired percussion set on arrival (see end photos). Last year, Bella and I entered our film Leki, which took out the People’s Choice Award. This year, I gave my tickets to Jen, a fellow singlespeed MTBer who had not been to the festival before. Not only did Jen have a good time, but she kindly wrote a summary of the films shown. Thanks so much Jen! See you all at the Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival next year! Enjoy! NG.
Image: Martin Fisch
Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival 2019
Thanks to the generosity of Nina, my husband and I spent a slightly wet Friday night at the Schonell Theatre in UQ enjoying the Brisbane Bicycle Film Festival.
It was a wonderful night and very well-attended. As I understand it, the change this year to a bigger venue meant that the previously sold-out event still had some tickets available. This is a great development because, in my opinion, more people should head to it and see what it has to offer.
I plan to go again!
The first half of the night saw some announcements from Mark Bailey, the
Minister for Cycling (as I understand is his preferred title having moved on
from being mangocube), about the newly opened Gateway Bicycle Path and some
upcoming projects for more bicycle paths in the northern suburbs of
Brisbane. Announcements of more paths
are always a happy thing in this somewhat cycling challenged city of ours.
Space for Cycling is the organiser of the event and they should be
congratulated on how smoothly it ran.
Their drive to push for safer ways to travel by bicycle in the CBD
appears boundless – and I hope they see some decent success soon.
After the formalities, it was on to the short films competing for
prizes, including the People’s Choice Award which was won last year by a film in
which the indefatigable Nina was heavily involved.
@space4cyclingbne
Brisbane Bike Bites
These short films must be no more than 5 minutes and have some connection to both Brisbane and cycling. There was a range of approaches to these very broad criteria but that just added to the fun.
The first film was called I Love to Ride My Bicycle. It was a spiffy 1:37 long but it had everyone laughing from beginning to end. The concept was simple but brilliantly executed.
The next was The Gate. Another simple concept but the credits were the real star of this film. They were full of tongue-in-cheek references greatly appreciated by the audience – so much so that they (the film makers not the credits) took out the People’s Choice Award.
Pedal-mentry provided a fascinating look at a club that is populated by people who have customised their bicycles. Some of the creations were totally whacky! But the individuality shown by all of the bicycles is a testament to the creativity of their owners.
On the Fly followed a ride around Brisbane. Then it had a cat at the end. I really liked the cat.
Club Song Film was true to its name. It showcased the vocal talents of a penny farthing club. They all dressed in era-specific garb and seemed to be having a jolly old time in their singalong around the piano.
Inspired by a similar era, A Jaunty Jaunt took out first prize. The highlight was the juxtaposition of the olde time costume and penny farthing bicycle of the main character and his meeting with his modern day counterpart. It was a truly fun concept.
Finally, the last bite sized film was The Epic of Spring Hill. This faux-documentary about an intrepid pair attempting to summit Spring Hill was a delight from start to finish. The bike skills on display while riding City Cycles were impressive but I particularly liked when they decided to climb the steps up to the summit using a rope and the lead climber thought briefly about cutting the rope holding his companion. Spoiler alert: They did reach the summit by bike but it appears their claim to be the first to do so has been disputed.
Image: The Bikes of Wrath
The Main Feature
These very clever short films were followed by the main feature. The Bicycles of Wrath is a film in which 5 mates from Victoria decide to follow, by bike, the route taken by the ill-fated Joad family in the Steinbeck novel, The Grapes of Wrath.
It was beautifully done and showcased the generosity of those with little to give in a way that nicely mirrored Steinbeck’s underlying theme. I truly enjoyed it. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in Steinbeck, bicycles, travel or human nature.
We left the event wondering how it is we’d never been before.
That said, we will be there next year and I recommend you consider going as well!
@claudia_bergs@space4cyclingbneEntertainment on arrival by cycOZ. Image @space4cyclingbne@space4cyclingbne@space4cyclingbne
The other day I was riding my bike along the foreshore. It was a busy day, with cyclists, pedestrians and families all out enjoying the sunshine. It made me happy and I thought how nice it would be to interact more with the environment and people around me.
It reminded me of theBow Bells Ring project by artist Colin Priest, which was an installation commissioned as part of the 2011 London Olympics.
It perfectly captures everything this blog holds near and dear. So for those who have not heard of this project before – here is ye olde favorite community bike project gem. Enjoy!
What is Bow Bells Ring?
The idea is simple. UK artist Colin Priest collected 100 bicycle bells of all kind of sizes, shapes and loudness and installed them strategically along well-used public paths.
Each bell was attached to a small wooden stick and had its number and a little blurb detailing the project.
Then, each bell was installed at critical experimental points along a public route linking the Greenway, Capital Ring towpath and Stratford High Street. Visitors could download an app to get a tour map of all the bell locations.
Cyclists, pedestrians and locals could ring the bells and interact with the project however they liked. Priest found that some of the bells were modified by passers-bys (de/increasing loudness).
This project not focuses on bicycles and active transportation, but also uses recycling and low-tech approaches. It is innovative and encourages community engagement and an appreciation for the local environment.
What more could you want in a community bike art installation?!
The aim was to highlight safety and interactivity, promote use of local public spaces, increase awareness for biking and community interaction, and to bring some happy cheer to the area.
The installation followed the main bikeways through some gorgeous parklands, along a river and through the urban green spaces. The bells were also thoughtfully situated in order to reflect the environments, the surrounding locals who live there and to encourage a little more participation as people moved through the social and environmental surrounds.
Below is a video of Colin Priest explaining his project.
Bow Bells Ring Map
This project was commissioned by View Tube Art, as part of Bicycle Wheel for the CREATE11 Festival. Bow Bells was funded by the Arts Council England.
This idea would be a lovely addition to any bicycle pathway.
I’d like to see more interactive bicycle-inspired community art installations like this.
Here’s to hoping!
All images are stills taken from the two View Tube videos included in the blog.
As
well as wearing my The
Cycle of Objectification outfit all day, I also attended a few afternoon
IWD women artist events at Griffith Uni, Southbank.
I
wanted to attend these events to support the showcase of feminist voices and feminist
work.
I
was especially keen to hear what some Brisbane feminist artists had to say and
see how they were translating their explorations of feminist issues through
their art practice.
Like me, quite a few participants had
made sashes, costumes, or were dressed in IWD colours.
The
first event I went to was at the Grey Street Gallery to hear Brisbane artist Genevieve
Memory speak about her exhibition Semiotics of the Dress. This
exhibition looked at the history and social significance of dresses.
Next
were three other local artists Jodie, Ashley and Renee, who are currently
exhibiting at the Machinery Gallery Windows, also spoke about their work and
ideations.
From
there the crowd moved to the Glass Box space. The Glass Box had a very interesting
curated exhibition showcasing a number of under grad female art students. It
was a very interesting exhibition drawing on a rage of voices, experiences and
issues. As well as music and artists explaining their work, the curators also
explained their process and intentions for the exhibition.
There was also a live gig by Brisbane musician Taana Rose (below), which was a real treat!
Tanaa Rose
There was also a proto-installation by a duo (I am sorry, I didn’t get their names!) who have an upcoming exhibition. They created a sample of their work yet to be installed in the concourse to explain their conceptualisations and what they wanted to achieve. I really liked the outdoor/interactive aspect of this presentation. It great to use the art college public space to share art with passers-by.
I
really enjoyed all the artist talks and have a new appreciation for the amount
of work and thought that these talented artists apply to their practice.
Image: Brisbane Art Guide
I was stoked to see that Louise Mayhew (Griffith Uni) had organised (for the third year) a Wikipedia-edit-a-thon. Wikipedia is one of the largest websites on the internet, with more than 40 million articles in more than 250 different languages, but women make up less than 10% of editors. This means women’s stories aren’t being told. This event is where you can edit Wikipedia to include women of note who do not currently have a presence on Wikipedia, or who are underrated, forgotten or invisible.
What a great idea!
I immediately
started researching a range of female cyclists and bike riders who are yet to be
fully recognised, or who have been forgotten in history who need to be
included.
It
was an action packed day full of creativity, community, and activism.
What a way to celebrate International Women’s Day!
