Blue Bike Project's topics - tribe.net

Parrallel Universe Show, Miami Fla.

2004-12-17T20:33:29Z

I posted a couple of photots of two pieces that I did for a Miami art show. The back to back bike is called "Pushmi-Pullyu" ala the Dr. Doolittle movie. The piece in the frame is "Le Blue Bike". It was sure fun to see the looks they got.

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Painting Your Blue Bike

2004-12-07T01:45:53Z

What's a good paint and technique for painting a bike blue? Spray, brush, naked-body-rub-against-bike?

Brand? Water-based? Oil?

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Blue Bike Project Manifesto

2004-09-03T13:21:24Z

MANIFESTO
THE BLUE BIKE PROJECT

The Blue Bike Project can be explained as an experiment in Phenomenology. Heidegger describes Phenomenology as “the process of letting things manifest themselves.” Phenomenology attempts to enable people to see, clearly, something that is right before their eyes, but obscured; things that are so taken for granted, that they are muted by abstract observations.
The first aim of Phenomenology is to reawaken a sense of wonder about ones’ environment. The Blue Bike attempts to stimulate curiosity and bring people to question both the Bike, and their relationship with their surroundings. Because people are not used to seeing advertisements or propaganda for which the product or motive is not obvious, frequent and novel encounters with the bike provoke thought and possible frustration: Nevertheless, revitalizing the viewer’s perception and attention to detail.
The Blue Bike has no meaning, but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for the meaning of the bike. Because the Blue Bike has a following with not actual meaning, the various reactions and interpretations of those who view it reflect their personality and nature of their sensibilities.
Many people who are familiar with the Blue Bike find the image itself amusing; recognizing it as nonsensical, and are able to derive straightforward visual pleasure without burdening themselves with an explanation.
The paranoid, or conservative viewer, however, may be “confused” by the Blue Bike’s persistent presence and condemn it as an underground cult with subversive intentions. Many Blue Bikes have disappeared or been discarded by people who are annoyed by the bike, which they consider to be an “eyesore”, an act of petty vandalism. Which is ironic, considering the number of commercial graphic images that everyone in American society is assaulted with daily. Another phenomena the Blue Bike has brought to light are society’s trendy and conspicuously consumptive nature.
For those who have been surrounded by the Blue Bikes, their familiarity and cultural resonance is comforting. People have often demanded a Blue Bike merely because they have seen it everywhere and possessing a bike provides a sense of belonging.
The Blue Bike seems mostly to be embraced by those who are, or at least want to be, rebellious. Even thought these people may not know the meaning of the Blue Bike, they enjoy its slightly disruptive underground quality and wish to contribute to the furthering of its humorous and absurd presence, which seems to be anti-establishment/societal convention.
The Blue Bikes are both embraced and rejected; the reasoning behind which reflects the psyche of the viewer. Whether their reaction be positive or negative , the Blue Bike’s existence is worthy as long as it causes people to consider the details and meaning of their surroundings.
In the name and fun and observation, the project continues.......

BLUEBIKEPROJECT@AOL.COM

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Blue Bike History

2004-08-31T20:55:07Z

Ummm, where do I start? I was putting out art for anyone to look at or have in the downtown Fort Lauderdale area when as I was driving on Las Olas Blvd I saw an old ladies bike in front of a "Country Store." This gave me the idea to paint bikes one color and put them out around town. I went home and went out on the railroad tracks where I had seen an old bike (sort of an English racer type bike) that would meet my needs. I brought it back to my house and started to look for a good color in my paint stash. I had just recently been out on a job painting lines on handicap parking spaces. This seemed like a great color as it really glows, and is bright plus I had quite a bit left in the can. That was it, a done deal and the first "Blue Bike" was painted and after drying put out in front of Rush Street martini bar. The bike started to draw attention and talk about what it was all about started. I would hear others saying what their take on the bike was and always with them not knowing who was actually the person that had put it out. It was amusing to say the least. The bike was drawing so much attention that more bikes needed to be "installed." They started to multiply and bikes sprung up in some pretty interesting places. More bikes were needed and the local bulk trash pickup was as good a place as any to secure new/old bikes for the project. The paint started to run low and a trip to the paving and parking lot supply was needed. I picked up two more gallons and after returning home tested it on a halfway painted and found that they had changed their formula. I went back to find out if I could get some of the original paint but could not. The lady at the counter couldn't understand the need for the color to be the same just to stripe handicap spaces until I sort of let her know what I was really using it for. She was happy to know that she had, had a hand in the "blue bikes" even if it was a small one at that. Needless to say I went home to take a part off of the half painted bike to have it color matched and it worked well. The original color's integrity was intact. More bikes went out and then the City of Fort Lauderdale and a Broward County code enforcement officer decided that enough was enough. They hauled in about eight bikes and put them in the city yard. They even took bikes from private property where the bikes were welcomed and not a "nuisance" as the code enforcement officer had called them. During all of this a writer at the Sun-Sentinel had been writing stories about the bikes and went to the city, county, and the police dept. to find out why they were taken. She received conflicting stories and a couple of city commissioners and the mayor had them returned to me. I had to keep my identity a secret so I wore a suit and an old Richard Nixon mask to retrieve the bikes. I also borrowed a friends truck so as to throw them off a little more. The bikes were put out that night with the understanding that they would not be chained up to city property and not in the line of sight of drivers. I went so far as to chain them only to bike racks, that way they would be where they belong. This seemed to work and they stayed out much longer except when a bike would start to look kind of run down then it would be replaced with a newly painted one. Nowadays if a bike goes missing you can usually bet that someone grabbed it for a souvenir. Maybe even a part of a bike as a souvenir is taken now. Oh well I hope this answers some of you're questions and enlightens you somewhat. In the name of fun and observation, the project continues........

posted in Blue Bike Project - 4 replies