Cycle

Greek kyklos - circle, wheel, any circular body, circular motion, cycle of events

Sanskrit carati - he moves, wanders

Latin colere - to frequent, dwell in, to cultivate, move around

Turning/Spinning/Pedal

Synonyms:

course, period, revolution, rhythm, round, series, alternation, chain, circle, circuit, loop, orbit, periodicity, ring, rotation, run, sequel, sequence, succession, wheel, isochronism

Affordances	Limitations
Cost Sustainability Exercise Time Recreation, enjoyment Not part of traffic herd - MOOO	Safety Exposure to elements Time

Questions?

Why do I ride?

Why does it bring me pleasure?

How can I help people to be safe on their bikes?

How can I encourage people to use bikes more/adopt it as a way of life?

How can riding a bicycle be a metaphor for life? (and how can I share that?)

            the act of riding is monotonous but it is getting you somewhere

            daily life is monotonous but it is enabling you to become (getting you somewhere)

What is the relationship of the bicycle to the spectacle?

How has frugality influenced my desire to ride?

How does being a cyclist parallel my role as an artist?

Empowerment

I have realized that one of the main reasons I enjoy riding and commuting so much is the sense of empowerment it provides me. I love the idea of getting somewhere on my own steam, being independent, not needing a car. Traveling by car is a luxury that is taken for granted. Many will drive to a place that could easily be walked to. 

For the Bay to LA bike tour my wife and I went on we traveled without any assistance from a motorized vehicle from San Fransisco to Los Angeles, over 500 miles. Our legs, pedalling, propelled us that great distance. How much more empowering could that be? There are many people who ride from coast to coast of the United States, on a bike!! Most people would never drive that and even dread the several hour flight. 

From Claire Bishop’s article, the spectacle and capitalism has caused people to lose their sense of agency and empowerment. Riding a bike is a means to restore that sense of agency and empowerment.

So how can I help other people feel a sense of empowerment through riding a bicycle and how can I make it different then “ride to work day?”

The Empowerment of a Bicycle

What

-       Re-humanize and empower through riding a bike.

Where

-       Local?

When

With Whom

-       Someone who cannot physically ride a bike.

-       Blind, Disabled

-       Someone who does not know how to ride a bike

-       Use a Tandem, Trailer, Cargo bike

-       Someone who does not own a bike

-       Help them acquire a bike

-       Allow them to borrow a bike

Backwards Bicycle

This is amazing. I want to try to ride that bike so bad. Watching this video has helped me to become aware of my own abilities to balance while riding. Having much experience, I can easily ride without even thinking about the balance aspect of the bike. Most of the time I think I ride pretty smooth and don't NEED to balance. After this video I have become aware of the minute movements that my body makes to help me stay upright. 

Returnity

"Returnity was a playful test that referenced lifelong learning, connectivity in a globalized world, and radically rethinking and deliberately disorienting one's naturalized behaviors. "

Living As Form
Maria Lind pg. 47

Deliberate Disorientation

After Maria Lind's article about deliberate disorientation like in the project Returnity, I decided to try to try that out for myself. This video captures me trying to ride my bicycle backwards. It was extremely challenging. It was interesting to do this experiment from an artistic standpoint. I was noticing my own ability to change and adapt as I tried various methods to achieve balance. I started trying to push down with my left foot first, but when I tried my right foot, I seem to have more stability. Then I starting playing with my center of gravity and found that if I leaned forward/backwards with more weight over my handlebars, I achieved even greater balance.

Paseo A Ciegas

Super cool project to give the experience of riding a bicycle to those who are physically unable. The real time of this event with video, mapping, twitter and braille reader is too cool. 

Bike Snob NYC

Baron Karl von Drais' interest in finding an alternative to the horse was the vation and death of horses caused by crop failure in 1816

Human powered vehicle

Riding is a means of disruption

Breaking the social norm to drive a car for everything: work, school, errands.

“Even if the trip does take longer by bicycle, at least you’ve got almost total autonomy. You can pick your own route, you can make you own schedule, you can weave through traffic. On a bike, you’re self-sufficient, and you’re virtually immune to delays.”

“If you never want to feel like a cow again - physically or mentally - t riding your bike”

-       Bike Snob NYC

The energy efficiency of a bicycle has been estimated to be the equivalent of the average car doing 1,600 miles on a gallon of petrol."