Larry Young
(48” x 80” x 28” / 55lbs)
My objective was to have fun with this project so I injected a bit of humor and intentional confusion. I started by creating a bike on a bike giving the illusion of an impossible situation: the bike is coming and going! I used bird forms, color, line, shape, and motion to further develop the illusion. I also wanted to incorporate the rider into the composition through the use of costume and color.
The Mantis
Paul Jackson
(6'x1'x3.5' / 25lbs)
As a watercolorist, I don't get many three dimensional projects to work on. Unfortunately my medium of choice wouldn't stick to a bicycle frame, so I took the opportunity to have fun and experiment. An avid insect enthusiast anxious to see spring, I endeavored to transform my bicycle into a rideable creature. The frame of my bicycle lent itself well to the shape of a praying mantis, but the rust & blue finish needed some serious green. Rather than disassembling the bike to paint the frame, I succumbed to my obsessive-compulsive-adhesive disorder and covered the frame in a lime green duct tape. The head, arms and body are constructed of fabric, painted foam, wire and paper mache. The result is my whimsical welcome to Spring.
Re-cyclator
Chris Teeter/Wayne Leal:
(15’ x 8’ x 8’, 250-300 lbs. but detachable for mobility)
Starting with a girl’s purple beach cruiser, this Artcycle grew itself. One alteration lead to another till it became the multi functioning form you see before you.
Our intuition was to work within a trash/junk urban/industrial framework and thus a sidecar materialized from modified trash cans we attached to the bike. Eventually that grew into a “chariot” requiring a frame which in turn required more wheels and more support and thus other forms began to evolve, applied from elements we scavenged from various sources, including alleyways, an auto repair shop and dumpsters.
This project became a seamless evolutionary dialogue between the minds of two artists who relish the discovery of the sublime in the discarded, in the seen yet unseen, utilizing whatever materials are at hand, investigating the potential of functional items beyond their literal usage, disassembling and re-assembling them into unexpected realities.
A shape, be it a wheel, a curve, or a volume, possesses inherent energy that calls for support, contrast, or repetition in relation to other shapes. In the same way words come together as structures to render ideas, objects can be combined in ways that create new expressions, a unique visual language. But ultimately, this Artcycle was made for the sheer pleasure of creation.
Ingredients include, but are not limited to:
Two adult bikes, 3 kids bikes, 1 vintage kids scooter, two trash cans, VW motor parts, steel table parts, steel tubing & angle bar galore, plant hangars, foot rest frame, bells, a thousand million nuts, bolts & washers & etc
Fly High Birdie
Susan Taylor Glasgow
(24" tall x 26" front to back x 26" wide. 20 lbs)
I chose a child's tricycle because of its wonderful sculptural size and clear plastic wheels. I've enjoyed creating a piece around the concept of the bicycle to support the Columbia Art League and "Bike, Walk, and Wheel" week. With my bike I've incorporated an additional element, flight, and titled it "Fly Hi Birdie". Covered with thousands of tiny glass beads and given glass wings, pedals, and kickboard, it took 2 months to complete.
The Osage Flyer
Thom Smith
(7’x 2’x 3’ and 25 lbs)
The "Osage Flyer" is my homage to the Plains Indians of the American West and especially to the great Osage tribe of central Missouri. It was created out of my respect for the art of these people- their sense of design and color, their ability to create beautiful art out of what was "to hand," and their integration of art, life, and native spirituality. I have attempted to use what they would have used, including animal skins, bones, fur, and feathers. While some of the feathers, claws, etc. are replicas of the real thing, the basic artifacts, design, and colors are authentic to American Indian and Osage aesthetics and culture. The idea behind my decorating schema goes back over fifty years to my father's love for this culture, as well as my own. Thom Smith
Re-Cycle
Lisa McGill
(6’ x 4’ x 4’ 150lbs)
As I thought about what to do for my ArtCycle I thought about cycling in Columbia... I thought about how many trails and bike lanes there are in Columbia, you can get almost anywhere on your bike... from my house in Cherry Hill, to my job on N. Ninth Street it only takes 30-45 min. Yet still so many people refuse to use methods to get around other then a car. And then the same people pay for a gym membership and spend an hour there everyday... when you could cut a couple of steps and help the environment. So I created a bike to help all those people who cant give up the feeling of power associated with a car, this bike brings the presence and the size… only with zero emissions!!!! So with the help of the Guys at A-1 Auto Recyclers I have created a car bike.
My bike helps promote a new breed of cars, alternative fuel cars with few to zero emissions. It also promotes a new breed of Citizen. A citizen concerned with the future of their country, a citizen concerned about the future of their children, a citizen who is not willing to wait for someone else to come up with a solution, but one who creates their own.
This bike was created almost completely from recycled parts, which just goes to show you don’t need something new to be awesome.
The Juan Bear Bike
JJ Higgins
It’s the circus, traveling performers in a constructed event with moving wheeled carts, special rides, trained animals and their human counterparts as performers, acrobats and exotic others infiltrating the comfortable spaces of our environment.
The circus as the spectacle--attractions on a time schedule.
It moves through our time, and our town.
What is it we remember?
The bicycling bear, moved from the menagerie to the arena.
Bears on bikes, bears on skates, bears escaping on bicycles from captivity
An original Juan, the Andean bear
Attempted escape from a zoo in Berlin
but failed in his task, the getaway
because he couldn’t unlock the bike.
This is the Juan.
An homage to the bear who tried to get away.
In my version, this Juan one with the bike, the three-speed cruiser
Carrying his passengers, less a spectacle than an attraction
Looking for an escape, hoping to meet that character Curious George.
(Curious George Rides a Bike)
And live in his own constructed plush world.
Instructed space [bear necessities]
An ipod/radio with speakers in the back
A great fur coat and assisted pedaling. . . (bear pockets, for travel storage)
And don’t forget the BLING—mirror ball, microphone, and assorted performance effects
Cat-Cycle
Dennis Murphy
(6’ 4” x 2’ 4” x 5’ 8”)
This Cat-Cycle is homage to the feline. Worshiped by the ancient Egyptians, caressed by the Prophet Muhammad and made iconic as a symbol of the devil in the Middle Ages, the grace and aloofness of the cat fascinates. I celebrate cats in general and feral cats in particular. The Humane Society sets their population at 60 million and advocates sterilization and adoption from the starving, disease ridden colonies in which they live.
One such cat, Ginger, was rescued by my daughter from an engine compartment in the drive-thru at B &B Bagels a few years ago. She spayed, tamed and nourished Ginger who is now fat and happy.
Since cats are larger than life in our culture I wanted to create a larger than life representation that is at once actual and iconic: a totem. But I wanted a modern totem – and what is more current than the vehicularization of the cat? Hence I have, in the best American tradition, overindulged the Cat-Cycle with electrification, bells, whistles and a rumble seat.
The Bel Air Bike
Matt Moyer
(it's about 2 feet longer than a normal bike)
I have been fascinated with the body styles of vintage cars since my childhood. I took my inspiration for this bike from a '56 Bel Air, drawing on the memorable fenders and paint jobs of the era. Decked out with baby blue and almond paint, dramatic fenders and classic whitewall tires, this bike is designed for a cruise down Broadway....in one speed: slow.
Wine Cycle
Susan Kissinger:
This project was a challenge at first, I wasn’t sure where to start, so I began where I usually do, with a pencil and a blank piece of paper; several sketches later, I was still at square one. Then one delightful afternoon, after a bike ride on the Katy trail, I found myself sipping on a glass of wine, and the idea for a “wine cycle” was born.
I wanted to feature Missouri wines, so I created a collage in the center of the bike frame focusing on some of Missouri’s most well known vineyards. I collaged the rest of the bike in wine labels from various vineyards from around the world. The tire spokes are dressed in wine corks and grapes, I upholstered to seat in burlap, and I fashioned new handles out of Missouri wine corks. I believe that attention to detail makes all the difference in the final product, therefore, no portion of this bike was left uncovered.
Cycling is a great way to stay healthy, likewise, in moderation, wine also offers certain health benefits; in bringing the two together, I hope to inspire others to pull their bikes out of the garage and take an afternoon ride, after all, who know what great idea will develop over the refreshing glass of wine after returning home.
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