So I made these racks as a gift. I offered to Andy at Geer Street Garden to build them if he would donate a recommended sum to the Scrap Exchange. He could donate to a great organization, get the tax write off and do it at his leisure (within reason). He took the bait.
I fabricated three and he asked for three more. I installed them with a 3/8 inch expanding bolt drilled into the concrete. The material is all locally harvested rusty pipe and rail road parts. I got obsessed with the unfolding leaf form which was a good fit for the aesthetic of Geer Street Garden. The two smaller pipes separate the handlebars of the bikes so they don't get tangled. You lock at the head tube, and front wheel so the bikes don't slide. The day after the install, Tipping Point came to Geer with about a hundred bikes. The use has been steady since then.
For me this project combined my interests in bikes, sculpture, scrap metal, street furniture and urban design. More practically, now I can park my bike at Geer Street.
Jackie Mcleod is going to do a set of racks across the street. I like to think I helped tip the market over the edge.
No comments:
Post a Comment