The new year break is a time when many families hit the road for an annual holiday.
Cars full of people travel up and down the Australian East Coast heading to their favourite travel destination.
If you find yourself travelling through Central NSW, why not check out the Animals on Bikes tourist trail?
Animals on Bikes is a 120km creative ‘paddock art’ installation of…. well…. animals on bikes… that you can see from your car as you drive along.
What is Animals on Bikes?
Originally, the inspiration for the project (started by Christine Western), was to capitalize on local tourist services and attractions, such as the Dubbo Zoo.
But as 8 years of drought continued to ravage local farms, it also become a way ‘to boost morale and improve the economic health of our rural-reliant central west communities’.
Animals on Bikesstarted in 2009 as a series of 45 creative 2-metre high sculptures and some smaller ones created by local farmers, farmers wives, Men’s sheds, bus drivers, preschool kids, playgroup mums and other locals.
Now, there are over 100 sculptures on display.
All installations are located off the main highway, between Molong and the Dubbo Zoo, via Cumnock and Yeoval. You can download a map and self-drive a route that suits you.
Image: Animals on Bikes
This project is quite remarkable.
Its impressive that the local community galvanised to link into, and extend, the local region’s tourism industry in creative and unique ways – as well as showcasing the talent, humour and ingenuity of local residents.
Many rural areas are being negatively affected by new highway developments that bypass communities – a theme immortalized as per Radiator Springs in the Disney movie ‘Cars’ for instance. This project is a great example of one community’s proactive approach to redress this.
Image: Rosie the Red Backed Spider. Animals on BikesImage: Animals on BikesImage: Australian TravellerImage: Animals on BikesImage: Animals on BikesImage: Animals on Bikes Image: Animals on Bikes
A big thanks to Claire Tracey, who suggested this story after seeing Animals on Bikes on a trip from Brisbane to Canberra. Thank you! We love it!
This year I’ve giving my top 5 presents for cyclists who don’t want/need any more bike gear – and are open to something a little different (as long as it’s bikey!).
1. Anything by Anthony Oram
Anthony Oram is a UK designer/creative who rides bikes. As such, his website has an impressive great range of limited edition bicycle-themed art, prints, frames, notebooks, bags, t-shirts and heaps of other products. Anthony’s motto ‘build bikes, not bombs’ is understandably in high demand. All designs are Anthony’s so you can guarantee these products are unique. He is based in the UK, but ships worldwide.
Personally, I really dig his notebooks. Classy, functional, creative and quintessentially bikey – a perfect Christmas gift!
More professional designers creating bicycle products like this please!
Image: Anthony Oram
2. Bike Planters and Bike Vases
1. Bike Vase
3D Mood is a German design group- Bicycle vase. Pimp your bike with this beautiful mini bike vase. Simple clamping with an elastic. Vase is made with a 3d printer with PLA plastic. This plastic strain is made from biodegradable vegetable raw materials (corn starch or sugarcane), and is therefore promoted as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics from petroleum chemicals.
Image: Etsy – 3D Mood
2. Colleen Jordan
According to Fast Company, the Atlanta-based designer Colleen Jordan got the idea for the planters from the flower pots in the new generation of Volkswagen Beetles. “Putting a plant in a car like that seemed to be contradictory,” she tells Co.Design. “A lot of cyclists seem to be plant lovers as well, so the combination just seemed right in my mind.” So she began offering made-to-order 3-D printed vessels that attach to a bike frame with an elastic cord. Jordan recommends using a clipping from a succulent or a large air plant. Since they’re made from polyamide, a porous material, excess water drains out of the bottom.
Image: Etsy – Colleen Jordan
3. Icosahedron Bike Planter – Wearable Planter
Another design in the Wearable Planter series is the Icosahedron Bike Planter, whose website promotes as a wearable planter for your bike. It is great with air plants and small succulents, which you can show off as you ride around town and make your green transportation even greener. The form uses modelling software and 3D printing.
The dye comes in bright colours and seals the final piece. A strong elastic cord attaches it to your bike. When you purchase the planter, it does not come with plants, but it does provide advice on which plants work best and how to plant.
Image: Wearable Planter
3. The Ivy Bike Lock by Sono Mochie
I don’t know how secure this lock is – and after having our most beloved fixi, Milky Joe (we still miss you!) stolen in Melbourne while locked up to Leki (who was left ???!!!), I have very little faith in any other lock outside of an Abus Granit 1000 cable lock, which is the only lock I now use for any bike other than Leki these days (you just can’t go wrong with German security company!).
That being said, if you don’t need/want an industrial style lock, then this lock might fit the bill.
Sonon Mochie is quoted as saying: “why does our bicycle need to be connected to light poles by chains like a criminal in prison? Inspired by nature, the design of this cable wire lock is a mimicry of ivy. It is unified in our daily scene and promotes protection of the environment. It is soft and feels natural. ‘ivy’ is a plug to awaken the relationship between you and society.”
The Ivy Bike Lock was a shortlisted design in the 2010 Seoul Cycle Design competition (organized by Designboom in collaboration with Seoul Design Foundation).
Image: Sono Mochie
4. A Bicycle Week Calendar
This fun gift is a chalkboard bicycle wheel week calendar/list that spins.
If your house likes baking and/or has one (or more hungry cyclists), then check out these kooky bicycle cookie cutters. I can definitely see these at office parties, children’s parties, work Christmas parties and your next cycling race event!
Artist Studio. Creative Workshop. Innovation Space. Art & Design Workroom. Conceptual Atelier.
Call
it what you will.
Having
a designated space to produce original creative work is a blessing.
Most artists I know have some kind of space to produce work, leave out their tools, percolate ideas and have room to let their creative juices flow.
Very
few people who are not full-time artists (with the exception of retirees and empty-nesters)
are lucky to have such a space.
Personally,
I’ve never had such a space.
Until recently….
This year I have been working hard juggling teaching, PhDing and a range of other projects. I like to have one creative project on the go to help keep me balanced.
One of my ongoing side projects has been making custom-made recycled bottle cap medallions made only of recycled materials.
Regular readers of this blog will be familiar with them.
I make them out of bottle caps filled with predominately bicycle inner tubes and bike parts, but also miscellaneous materials, discarded paper, buttons, board game pieces, broken jewellery and any other manner of opp-shop or scrap bits-and-bobs.
I love how meditative the process is. I often will set aside a few hours, pull out all my gear, have a beer, put on some good music and settle in for a crafternoon session.
I’ve been making these medallions for nearly two years now and have quite a collection.
When I make them, I sometimes set up a ‘crafternoon’ workstation out the front of my house under the carport. I love working outside and the neighbors often drop in to say hi and see what designs I’m working on that day.
Invariably they’ll leave with a medallion that takes their fancy.
It still
makes me smile when I see my recycled bicycle medallions on hats, coats and
bags being worn around my community.
There’s a running joke around our streets that the locals are ‘supporting the arts’ by drinking beer and giving me the caps. Hilarious!
I often come home to find small bags of bottle caps in my letterbox or on the front steps. Gold.
Thank you to The Sunshine Family
But one
particular family have gone above and beyond.
Four months ago, a family (who I’ll call The Sunshine Family because they asked to remain anonymous, but you know who you are!) offered me the use of their double-fronted shed as a designated art workshop until the end of the year.
Oh joy!
What an
offer!
Hells yeah!
It is a massive, clean space and had everything I might ever need.
Having this studio meant I could have all my gear set out and ready to go.
I got so many more medallions done when I was in there.
Talk about productive!
Whenever I had
the time, I’d get in there and easily smash out 50 medallions at a time.
One of the best (and most unique) features of this space is the double-fronted garage doors rolled up to look out on the private backyard.
So when all the local musos came over for the weekly jam session, I had a primo position to enjoy the tunes, banter and company!
Best studio
ever!
But now it is the end of the year, so its time pack up my materials and return the shed.
This post is to say thank you to the Sunshines.
Thank you for letting me use the space so I know what it feels like to have a designated creative workspace, for the wonderful offer, for good company, for trusting me, for ‘supporting the arts’ and for giving me my first-ever studio space! I will treasure your thoughtfulness and generosity always.
To The Sunshine Family, a massive big, heart-felt THANK YOU!
Today I read Paulus Maringka’s Greencycle Masters Thesis.
Paulus undertook this research with Auckland University of Technology in 2010. I found this manuscript online and was initially drawn to read it as this bicycle-inspired community development project had a number of cross-over themes with my own current PhD research project.
This thesis was a pleasure to
read. It was clearly written, on-topic and full of interesting images to help
break up blocks of text.
It was great to see a new approach to many of the issues I can currently researching, like bicycle use in developing countries, local adaptations and resources, impacts of cultural needs and contexts, and how users personalise their bicycles.
Equally, reading the chapters on
the technical design and development phases was also interesting as this project
centres on a product creation and intervention, whereas mine does not.
Below is Maringka’s thesis’ abstract, thesis organisation and some of the key images from the thesis, which gives a solid overview of the project without having to read it in its entirety.
This Greencycle project applies a
system approach to shift design thinking and practices away from the ongoing
unsustainable use of resources towards a more sustainable framework of
consumption whereby local cultures, skills, resources and technology are
analyzed to inform the design and development of a human powered transportation
system.
It uses a trans-disciplinary
research and design approach by consulting all stakeholders; including farmers
in a Third World country, industrial designers, engineers and manufacturers to
provide information, understanding and insights as a basis to find solutions
that have enabled this research study to produce a system called Greencycle
which utilizes renewable materials and indigenous people skills to produce a
bicycle that is more sustainable.
The bicycle provides more than
basic transportation to go from A to B. Poor countries need and depend on this
mode of transportation for a wide range of uses; thus expanding its function
and uses would be of great benefit to its users.
This research study has created a
series of accessories to extend a bicycle’s functionality, with the core being
made from sustainable materials and local skills. For this project it would
have been a simple process for the designer to come up with a concept idea(s)
that was based on a personal view of what would be a suitable solution for the
target user.
Instead however, the designer has
used feedback from the target group participants to shape and develop the
design process and to ensure the design will be acceptable for the target user
to use and manufacture.
This research study has included four expert interviews, eleven case studies of target users, prototype testing and field experiments with sustainable resources to gather information, understanding and insights from these stakeholders in order to propose, design and evaluate two Greencycles (using sustainable bamboo material) and a series of design accessories.
This multi-discipline approach to the design problem has revealed many opportunities that would otherwise be hidden by less detailed research and design methodology. Many academic studies stop at the point when the written thesis is complete.
This research study has included four expert interviews, eleven case studies of target users, prototype testing and field experiments with sustainable resources to gather information, understanding and insights from these stakeholders in order to propose, design and evaluate two Greencycles (using sustainable bamboo material) and a series of design accessories. This multi-discipline approach to the design problem has revealed many opportunities that would otherwise be hidden by less detailed research and design methodology. Many academic studies stop at the point when the written thesis is complete.
This research project went a step
further by testing and implementing its findings on users back in its intended
marketplace to ensure the design will be adopted by and be successful for
people in Third World countries.
As a result of this research,
there is now an opportunity to look at and create a business model that
provides new income opportunities for the local people.
Feedback for the Greencycle design and its accessories has so far been very encouraging, with participants showing a significant level of enthusiasm. To take advantage of this success, a business proposition to market these sustainable products seems plausible as a first step to developing this business venture. Information posters to showcase the accessories and their functions and applications have been designed to test market demands and other important indicators for future business development and strategy.
Thesis Organisation
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduces and scopes the areas of research and need for functional, usable and sustainable human powered machines.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Provides critical analysis through literature review and
internet ethnography to gain an understanding and knowledge of bicycle
functionality and bicycle users in Third World countries. This chapter also
reviews literature and provides a study background on Bicycle Ergonomics, Green
Materials and Sustainability.
Chapter 3: Research Design &
Research Methods
Outlines the research design and design methods approach
to the design generation and development of the Greencycle and accessories.
Chapter 4: Significant Findings
Presents the significant findings and the major
discoveries that formed the design criteria of the Greencycle and accessories.
Chapter 5: Design &
Development Phases
Details the design phases and iterative processes in the
development phases of the Greencycle and the accessories.
Chapter 6: Evaluation
Details the evaluation outcomes of an integrated approach
for the concept design thinking of the Greencycle and accessories, including
materials and manufacturing processes.
Chapter 6: Discussion &
Conclusion
The Discussion and Conclusion provides a reflection on what has been achieved and the future of the Greencycle and the accessories.
Abstract, chapter organization & images: Paulus Maringka (2010)Greencycle .
Many of us would love to undertake a month-long challenge.
But work, family and hobby demands often get in the way.
Two days ago, I came across the National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo.
In this event, I saw an opportunity to adopt certain principles of NaNoWriMo to use in an academic context that would not detract time and energy away from my current work/research demands – but would, in fact, be a productivity kick-starter!
Source: NaNoWriMo
What is
NaNoWriMo?
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) happens every year, It is an Internet-based creative writing challenge to write a 50,000-word novel from 1st to the 30th of November.
The National Novel Writing Month website started this challenge in July 1999 with only 21 participants. In 2010, 200,000 people wrote 2.8 billion words and in 2015, 430,000 participants completed 50,000 manuscripts.
This is a great challenge to get inspired, build a regular writing routine, overcome writing anxiety and writer’s block, and also be part of a highly active online community.
Source: Jeff Schwisow
Using NaNoWriMo for
academic writing
During NaNoWriMo, it is the length of the draft, not the quality that is the main goal. Editing and polishing the document comes later.
Producing writing is a constant pressure for academics and PhD candidates.
Essentially PhDers are assessed on their writing output. PhDers are required to, at a minimum, produce an 80,000-120,000-word high-quality dissertation and at least one peer-review journal article in order to fulfil their candidature. Having additional publications, conference proceeding and other written documentation are also expected.
That is one of the reasons I started this blog – to force myself to write
regularly.
I love the idea of a writing challenge. I have not been producing as much writing as I did when I first started my research and my usually productive writing routine has slipped.
Although NaNoWriMo is a novel writing challenge, I am going to use it as an opportunity to apply some of its principles to jumpstart my academic writing productivity.
Many NaNoWriMo ideas are transferable to an academic writing challenge.
So I went on an online binge to glean some of the most useful NaNoWriMo approaches.
As an R &D homage to the original NaNoWriMo, I’ve called my initial checklist (below) NiAcaWriMo– or Nina’s Academic Writing Month.
Here’s what I came up with….
Source: WCUK
NiAcaWriMo
Have all equipment and materials prepared.
This includes working tools like the keyboard, monitors, laptop/desktop, notebooks and any other paraphernalia needed. Delete Netflix or any other distractions. For me, this also meant setting up a dual monitor stand-up desk and putting my laptop in for a service and updating the operating system and all software.
Spring clean and organise your workspace.
To create productive energy and focus, declutter and spring clean your workspace. Clear out any distractions, tidy up or better yet, remove as much as you can out of your workspace to make it a lean and clean studious area. Dust off screens and keyboards, and wipe down any surfaces, IT cords and equipment as recognition that this space is open to new and fresh ideas. Commit to keeping the space clear by not allowing others to put anything in your workspace, clearing your desk at the end of each day and only keeping the basic work materials needed on your desk.
Prepare a soundtrack.
Some people listen to music while working, others prefer silence. Either way, know what kind of soundscape is most productive for you. When I work in an open office, I use ear plugs as well as high-performance ear muffs (a technique I use on public transport as well) if I want quiet and little sound. Or I use headphones with my own soundscape. I have had great success with alpha, beta and gamma binaural beats, which I used to complete a 17,000 minor thesis in four days. Another option is classical or instrumental music with no lyrics. Or have background music in a different language so your brain is not subconsciously engaged with the lyrics, but focused on your written language. For this technique, I’d recommend the French R & B duo Les Nubians album Princesses Nubiennes. Other creatives swear by having the same song on constant repeat which helps to create a consistent and familiar flow state. Find what works best for you.
Tell others about your challenge.
This means getting your significant other/s, family, work colleagues and
friends on board with what you are doing. This will save a lot of misunderstanding
and issues in the future and people will be a lot more understanding and
supportive. If you are upfront with your purpose and time frame, then measures
can be taken to organise and negate possible future complications such as invitations
and drop-in visits and even further to include things such as house cleaning
and grocery shopping.
Protect your focus
For one whole month, you need to make your writing challenge top priority – and this protecting your focus. This step requires you to know what you need to do your best work, what time of day you are most productive and that you put into place strategies to minimise interruptions and stay productive. This can include setting a schedule or a daily timetable. Or read some key literature that is not only inspiring, but is at a standard you wish to achieve. For academic writing, I like to have 3 journal articles that are my gold standard – two by my favourite author in my research field and another on a different topic whose style, expression and vocabulary I really enjoy reading. Another way to protect your focus might is to set your phone to silent and leave it in another room for your sessions. Or use an app to help your focus and build self-control, or a productivity app that helps avoid distractions, like Cold Turkey, which I recommend to postgrad students.
Prepare body and mind
We all know looking after the body and mind is important during intense work bursts, but the challenge is to make it a priority in order to sustain productivity. This includes eating well, being hydrated, taking regular screen breaks, doing regular exercise (until sweaty), getting adequate sleep and generally looking after your overall well-being. Build these elements into your daily schedule to ensure you protect your focus and keep yourself working at the optimal level. Have a look at A Year of Productivityfor other strategies to help prepare the body and mind.
Other NiAcaWriMo considerations
Once prepared, you then need to put it all into action.
This is an area I am still refining. So below is an outline of some tactics I’ve found to be incredibly helpful in consistently producing written work.
Morning Routine: I have had great success using a priming morning routine that I have adapted and personalised over the last three years.
iThinkwell. Over the last two years, I have attended two iThinkwell workshops: Turbocharge your writing and Seven habits of highly successful research students. I still some of the strategies from these workshops. If you get to one of these sessions, get your library to order the companion books which cover the same material so you can still get ahead.
Prepare the next day the night before. One key technique is starting a new day fresh and proactive, is to prepare what you are going to do the next day before you leave your desk the night before. IdentifyingThe Next Thing is a quick and easy way to get a new productive day started without wasting any valuable energy or focus on planning the day, you just get on and do it. Some writers like to leave a question as a stimulus for the next days’ writing session, or dot points that need expanding on, others leave notes to complete, or end the previous day mid-sentence so there is an idea to complete the next day and continue on.
Have a daily goal. I have a PhD friend who has a daily goal of writing 250 words a day. Another academic I know has committed one hour every day for the last five years to writing. Whether it is time, words count, tasks or any other goal, having a clear daily goal is a good way to set the intention for the day, track progress and establish milestones of achievement.
50,0000 words in a 30-day month equals 1,667 words per day.
Take each day separately. Keep in mind that progress is based on day-to-day productivity. Set-backs are inevitable. Don’t be too hard on yourself and be realistic. There will be blow-outs, mess-ups, crappy days and interruptions – this is part of life and work. If you struggle one day, reset and try again the next, but don’t try and catch-up as this adds extra stress. Take each day as a stoned alone session and accept that there will be ‘good days’ and ‘bad days’.
Know what a ‘good day’ looks like. How do you define ‘a good day’ of work? What does it look like? Is it producing a 500-word outline? Or writing 1,500 original new words? Reading a journal article? Having this clarification means that you know when you have achieved it. If this is not clear, you are at risk of ending each day feeling like you have not achieved your goal and could have done more, no matter how much your produce.
Garbage in, garbage out. Be mindful and actively manage what you allow yourself to be exposed to. This includes TV, social media, movies and the news – and also people. Remember the quality of your output is determined by the quality of the input. Read quality literature, reduce media exposure, unplug and read more engaging books.
Acknowledge milestones and reward. As you progress with writing, acknowledge micro-successes and milestones achieved. Having small rewards helps track activity, recognise breakthroughs, monitor improvements and boost motivation.
Writing is not editing. Writing and editing are two different skills, yet many people edit as they write and this can hamper progress and flow. For NaNoWriMo, participants are writing a 50,000-word draft. There is no editing at this stage and this a good idea to keep in mind. Many people get distracted while writing by fact-checking, looking up a definition, searching for a ‘better word’ or stopping to insert an accurate reference as they write. Doing these during the writing phrase inhibits ‘writing flow’ and focus. So the aim is to get ideas in writing down on without stopping to edit.
I use the write fast, edit slow – and theread a bit, write a bit, edit a bit adage to instil the distinction and importance of doing each of these tasks regularly. Another way to achieve the writer’s flow state as advocated by Blindboy is to write with fire, edit with ice.
Source: Jeff Bullas
Next steps
I only
found out about NaNoWriMo this
week, so it was too late to participate this year.
But it has inspired
me to get organised and get back into my writing routine.
Who needs a formal date to write? A month-long writing challenge can be undertaken at any time!
Take this blog post as an example: just writing about this challenge has produced a 2048-word blog post and helped clarify my next steps and preparation for NiAcaWriMo. That in itself is already a valuable and productive writing activity.
As we come up to the
end of the year, I’m gearing up for a NiAcaWriMo challenge in the new year.
And I will certainly
be looking out for NaNoWriMo next November.
So if you have any
kind of writing project, perhaps now it the time to get inspired and create
your own month-long writing challenge to crack the whip and get those important
first words onto paper.
In keeping with the spirit of my recent Vipassana experience, this post introduces the wonderful world of bicycle mandalas. Enjoy! NG.
Image: Yogawisdomforeveryday.com
Mandalas are beautiful Buddhist spiritual representations of the metaphysical universe.
At their core, mandalas are meditation aids.
The most famous mandalas would have to be the large-scale Tibetan Buddhist sand mandalas. These intricate and complex mandalas take a team of monks days, or weeks, or more, to create and require constant concentration and care to complete.
But in order to be a mandala, it needs to include some specific design features.
Mandalas have a balanced, repeated geometric design, a consistent colour palette and traditionally include a radial composition.
For many, circular bicycle wheels provide the perfect mandala frame. This is why they are so often in bike art when creating mandalas, dream catchers and other decorations.
The material and techniques used in these mandalas can vary. 2D mandalas use either hand-drawn or computer-assisted graphics, saving time, money and materials, but this approach often requires a certain amount of artistic or technical proficiency.
For 3D mandalas, fabric, cloth and textiles are big favourites, as are glass and mixed- media for the more adventurous.
Colours and designs vary widely and are only limited by the creators imagination, bravery and skill.
Remy Jouve’s bicycle tyre mandala
I got interested in bicycle mandalas after seeing Rémy Jouve’s amazing hand carved bicycle tyre mandala (below) which was sent to me by Claire Tracey.
Skill, patience, thoughtfulness and a whole lotta love!
Epic.
Image: Rémy Jouve
Image: Rémy Jouve
Other Bicycle Mandalas
Then I found a whole heap of them!
Here is a sample of the various hand-make bicycle mandalas.
Watercolour.
Image: Mariah Liisa
Ink Drawing.
Image: Kara-Adelle Lawrence
Knitted/Macrame (there are heaps of these online).
Image: Pinterest (no attribution)
And a few mixed media.
Image: nwaonline.com
Image: Pinterest (no attribution)
And some digitally assisted bicycle mandalas.
Image: Mountain2Mountain
Image: Dark Cycle Clothing
Image: Brightlight Mandalas
Regardless of the material or medium used, bicycle mandalas are unique, creative, quirky and fun.
They are a great way cyclists can support artists as well as showing their love for all things two-wheeled.
Keep your eyes open for your favourite bicycle mandala.
Post-Sydney conference has been busy with the final teaching week of Trimester 2 which means saying good-bye to classes and completing final assessment marking (*PHEW!*). On the PhD front, I’ve been working on my Ethics Application and putting together a Continuing Scholarship application to go full-time starting next year. During research, I found the below article about Nigerian bicycle decoration in a journal called Africa Arts. It is a blast from the past (1999), but I was delighted to see art bikes being featured in research literature. It gave me hope for academia …and a few ideas for a possible journal article! Below are a few of the more interesting creative highlights from the article. Enjoy! NG.
Source: Renne & Usman (1999).
This week I was stoked to find this article:
Renne, E., & Usman, D. (1999). Bicycle Decoration and Everyday Aesthetics in Northern Nigeria. African Arts,32(2), 46-92. doi: 10.2307/3337602.
This article starts with a discussion about “the dichotomy perceived to exist between objects considered to be every-day items and those considered to be traditional artworks is artificial in the Northern Nigerian context” (p. 46) and was written to probe the “continuity between the refined and intensified forms of experience that are works of art and the everyday events, doings, and sufferings” (Dewey 1934 p. 3).
Ultimately, the aim of this paper is to explore how the decoration of bicycles and the display of other everyday things in Northern Nigeria reflect an aesthetic process whereby the artist’s technical mastery of materials and creative innovation evokes a pleasurable response in the viewer.
Source: Renne & Usman (1999).
Bicycle Decoration in Northern Nigeria
Essentially, there are two main ways locals Zaria and Jos (Northern Nigeria) decorate their bike:
1. Traditional decoration (has 3 steps)
Step 1: Cloth or paper is used to cover the frame of the bike. Cloth is more expensive, but is washable.
Step 2: The frame is then painted usually in two contrasting colours.
Step 3: Decorative accessories are used for embellishments. These include handlebar tassels, mudguard decorations, fringed seat covers and pedals, plastic flowers and stickers.
2. Stickers only (new style)
Increasingly, coloured and metallic stickers are being used to completely cover the bike. The advantage here is that Day-Glo stickers can be incorporated into the design for increased night riding safety.
It should be noted that when the authors talk about ‘stickers’, they are referring mainly to sticky tape and vinyl/plastic type adhesive stickers (see picture below). The colours and designs of the stickers strongly reflect the local cultural aesthetic – which is best seen incorporated into the local architecture.
Given that this article was published in 1999, there was little access and variety to what we know as ‘stickers’ today. Even so, the idea of covering a bike in stickers still works, especially considering sticker today express messages individually, as well as en masse. So great thought could be applied to the placement, arrangement, colour and the overall message that the owner wants to convey if they were using today’s vast array of sticker types.
Source: Renne & Usman (1999).
Creative take-aways
I found this study interesting as it was focused on the skill of art and craft as a specific cultural signifier – whilst equally emphasising the everyday practicality of bicycles (used as tools, objects and transportation) as being something that is both beautify and functional.
There were a few design, aesthetics and creative approaches to embellishing objects (such as bikes) that were particularly interesting, for example, the concepts of:
conveying a feeling of balance, but not necessarily symmetry
creating a sense of balance amidst uncertainly
fusing material and ideas through technical aptitude
Gell’s (1992) observation that “the awe inspired by the unimaginable technological transformation of materials is akin to being charmed or enchantment” – suggesting an almost magical, anthropomorphic quality to the bicycle designs
that unity in design is temporary
Bamana carver-sculptor have a spirit-mentor to guide their practice and need to show technical aptitude as well as visual imagination to be successful
I also love the idea that bike artists can pursue an ‘aesthetic impulse’ and in decorating a bike there are opportunities for ‘resistance’, such as “striving for discontinuity and disorder”, “novelty in action” and expressing a “greater range and depth of insight and increase poignancy in feeling”.
Source: Renne & Usman (1999).
A bit of cultural context
In Northern Nigeria where this study took place, bicycles are ubiquitous.
They are commonly are associated with long-distance trading and with ritual practices that express certain social (brides ride the handlebars of their grooms bicycles to go to their husband’s houses), psychological (unsafe riding in rural villages suggests mental health issues) and/or literary (bicycles feature in well-known poetry) and political (bicycles were used in a range of political demonstrations) in states.
In the local language, the term kaya is described as an “invaluable word [that] can be used to mean almost anything”, although it may be loosely translated as”load” or as objects related to a certain activity. Thus, just as kayan doki refers to articles associated with horses (doki), kayan keke refers to decorative things associated with bicycles (keke). In the past bicycles have been referred to as dokin k’arfe – or ‘horse of iron’ – which I think it quite apt!
Source: Renne & Usman (1999).
Renne, E., & Usman, D. (1999). Bicycle Decoration and Everyday Aesthetics in Northern Nigeria. African Arts,32(2), 46-92. doi: 10.2307/3337602.
It is always so inspiring to see how proactive, creative and engaging the Bike Bendigo crew are.
Each year they add more amazing events to their ever-expanding calendar of awesome bikey-things to see and do.
No wonder Bendigo is Australia’s premier regional cycling capital!
This week saw the opening event of their annual month-long bike Bike Palooza Bendigo festival.
Source: Gold Central Victoria – The Yarn Ride
Bike Palooza Bendigo
The Bike Palooza Bendigo calendar has over 120 bike-related events for all ages, stages and interests.
To kick it all off, there was a colourful community event, where families and riders of all ages donned their favourite dress-ups and met at Wolstencraft Gardens for a picnic and day full of free creative and fun activities.
Source: Bendigo Advertiser
What’s on?
Bike Palooza offers heaps of events and activities, including:
Australian Walking and Cycling Conference (29-30 October)
CycleLifeHQ National Cycling Tourism Conference (26 October)
Pop-up learn to ride park and Open Streets Bendigo (27 October)
Filmed by Bike international film festival (27 October)
Bendigo Cycling Classic (28 October)
Open Streets Bendigo at Fun Loong Fun Day (20 October)
Ride2Work Day (17 October)
Community rides every Sunday
This year will also see an inaugural pop-up learn to ride park, which will be held on Saturday 27 October.
Source: Bendigo Advertiser – The Yarn Ride
The Yarn Ride
My favourite event this year would have to be the first ever Yarn Ride set for 14 October.
I love the idea of a parade of yarn bombed bikes taking over the streets – ridden proudly by knitted, woolly jumpered and bescarfed cyclists.
Wicked!
What a great way to celebrate bike riding and get more people involved in bicycle culture.
So if you are in the area, be sure to grab your bike, head down and get involved!
Earlier this year at the EA (QLD) PD Fest, our Bicycles Create Change session won the QLD Bright Ideas Award.
So, thanks to Pearson and the EA Queensland Branch, I’m in Sydney representing our BCC internship team session at the conference.
I am very honoured and very excited!
EAC 2018 Day 2 Program
Session Presentation:
From EAS to Collaborative Internship:
Lessons and insights where Bicycles Create Change
Many international students undertake English and Academic Skills (EAS) and DEP bridging classes to get into university with the ultimate aim of getting a job in their field of study.
There is a perception that English classrooms are for learning English, University tutorials are for discipline-specific content, and the workplace is for vocational skills. Internships are one-way students can become more work-ready. However, a number of studies confirm that current tertiary students lack generic employability skills (ACNielsen Research Services 2000; ACCI/BCA 2002), an issue that is even more challenging for international students.
I was curious to explore what a career development program that specifically catered to the academic, vocational and personal needs of the international students in my DEP classes might look like.
This presentation is a brief overview of the origins, activities and outcomes of this exploration: The Bicycles Create Change.com 2016 Summer Internship Program.
Program background
This Internship was a volunteer, eight-week, collaborative internship that ran from January 4th to February 27th, 2016. It required participants to fulfil 80-110 working hours.
The blog Bicycles Create Change.com (which has over 110,000 readers locally and internationally) served as the professional platform for work activities as it was a low-cost, high-exposure, authentic, skills-integrated outlet to showcase work.
The program was semi-structured with space to modify and self-initiative content. Hours were achieved individually, in pairs and as a team. The team met for one full day each week to review tasks, run workshops, refine skills and to discuss progress.
Theoretical underpinnings
This program integrated key theories including, scaffolding new skills (Vygotsky 1987), the need for authentic vocational guidance, participation and engagement (Billet, 2002), promoting creative thinking and expression (Judkins, 2015) and building on foundational DEP EAS skills and competencies (GELI, n.d.).
Origins and participants
The four volunteer participants varied in ages, backgrounds and degree levels and disciplines. The 4 volunteers for this program were; Sachie (female, 23, Japanese, Philosophy undergrad), Mauricio (male, 33, Columbian, IT PG), Juliet (female, 37, Indian, Special Education PG) and Gabriel (male, 42, Cameroonian, Social Work PG).
All participants had just graduated from the Griffith English Language Institute (GELI) 10-week DEP program in December.
Semester 1 2016 did not commence until Feb 28th. This left a gap of 9 weeks before university started, which is when the internship was undertaken.
Key considerations
There were are a number of key considerations built into this program:
Strengthening self-confidence and independent learning
Experience with unique, transferable and challenging skills
Fostering creativity and valuing artistic expression
Emphasis on developing reflection, collaboration and planning skills
Integrating EAS, vocation and personal skills to a range of contexts
Promoting initiative and the ability to generate own opportunities
Increasing employability, CV and work-ready skills
Authentic interactions and connection with locals/community
Create a comprehensive evidence portfolio of work, skills and achievements
To have fun applying skills in a challenging and productive way
Program design
The focus was to build on current competencies, develop new skills, build a professional portfolio of experience (and evidence), and for participants to become more confident in initiating their own opportunities and outputs.
This program minimised the ‘daily’ supervision and ‘student’ mentality of traditional internships to instead put supported autonomy firmly into the hands of each participant, who ultimately self-managed their own workload.
Tailored experiences (below) provided exposure to a collection of advanced competencies that are cumulatively not commonly experienced in other internships or classes.
The program integrated three main competency streams: EAS, Professional Skills and Individual Development. The program was scaffolded, so tasks became progressively more challenging and required greater participant self-direction to complete, as seen below:
Unique features
Participants undertook a series of challenging tasks, including:
Develop and present a professional development workshop (individually and in pairs)
Undertake an individual project that resulted in an output (ie. Crowdfunding project, publication)
Self-identify an industry leader to cold call for a 20-min introductory meeting
Complete a Coursea MOOC on an area of their choosing
Research a social issue to creatively present as an individually ‘art bike’ as part of the team Public Art Bike Social Issue Presentation and Forum
Research and produce five original blog posts on how bicycles are being used to create more positive community change in their home country
Weekly meeting with an assigned independent industry expert mentor
Join an industry association and attend events
Series of community activities: vox pops; invite locals to contribute to a community storybook; solicit locals to donate bicycles; deliver their work at a local community garden to the general public as part of the Art Bike Public Forum; conduct an individual public presentation
Complete an Internship Portfolio (documentation of work and reflection journal that documents, audits and reviews tasks, opportunities and skills)
The BCC Internship Team: Public Art Bike Social Issue Presentation and Forum. Sunday 13th March 2016.
Takeaways:
There were many lessons learnt from this project and given time constraints, only a few are mentioned in the presentation. Some key takeaways were:
Provide transferable and unique opportunities to develop ‘generic employability’, critical reflection and creative problem-solving skills
Provide integrated, genuine and practical ways to apply skills
Celebrate strategies, ‘sticky points’, ‘misfires’ ‘pregnant opportunities’ and successes
Make tasks more challenging and higher profile
Participants loved having more contact with the local community
Adaptations are needed for aspects to be taken up by educational institutions
Work from the end result backwards (CV and skill development)
Have visible, productive and meaningful evidence (or body) of work
Foster ability to independently create own opportunities and networks
Honour unexpected outcomes
Change the mindset to change to experience
References:
ACCI/BCA (2002) Employability skills for the future, DEST, Canberra.
ACNielsen Research Services (2000) Employer satisfaction with graduate skills: research report, Evaluations and Investigations Programme Higher Education Division, Department of Education Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA).
Billett, S. (2002). Workplace pedagogic practices: Participation and learning. Australian Vocational Education Review, 9(1), 28-38.
Griffith English Language Institute (GELI): Direct Entry Program. (n.d.) Retrieved from: https://www.griffith.edu.au/international/griffith-english-language-institute.
Judkins, R. (2015). The art of creative thinking. Hachette UK.
Lyons, M. (2006). National Prosperity, Local Choice and Civic Engagement: A New Partnership between Central and Local Government for the 21st Century. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.
McLennan, B., & Keating, S. (2008, June). Work-integrated learning (WIL) in Australian universities: The challenges of mainstreaming WIL. In ALTC NAGCAS National Symposium (pp. 2-14).
Vygotsky, L. (1987). Zone of proximal development. Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes, 5291, 157.
I saw this book in my local library and I couldn’t resist the cover.
This quirky picture book for preschoolers (ages 3-6) is the first foray into children’s books by Frank Viva, an award-winning illustrator/graphic artist for Esquire, Time and The New Yorker.
The story focuses on a winding, uninterrupted road that is both a stylistic feature of Viva’s work, a fundamental that leads the reader through the story and a necessary motif given this particular story – which is of course…cycling along a lon road!
The road features prominently and runs from the very start of the book by loops across the inside front cover, then out across each page as it weaves around towns, farms, a theme park, forests and past ocean foreshores.
The cyclist is on an elongated bicycle, which he expertly rides through tunnels, over bridges, up and down hills and around bends…. all in order to get to the end FAST – only to start the journey all over again!
Here’s an excerpt:
Along a long road gaining speed
Again and again and again
Along a long road going fast
Around a round bend near the end
And start all over again
This book appears simplistic, however, the winding long road, even cadence of text, the steadfastness of the cyclist and the ever-changing, yet familiar scenery – all have a rhythm and movement that many riders will identify with.
Just like the cyclist in the book, many riders have felt the compulsion to ‘just keep going!’.
The illustrations are minimalist and use a limited palette of four key muted tones to focus attention on the activity in the book.
The pages are thoughtfully designed and are clear and easy to look at. Hidden on pages are little gems, like whales diving in the ocean, dragonflies and tractors in fields.
My favourite part in the book is when the cyclist is stopped by an apple on the road out the front of a library…after the apple is moved, our cyclist is off again after waving to a little boy, his mother and their dog.
Few people know that Frank Viva originally created this project as one continuous, thirty-five-foot-long artwork. Amazing!l Athough Frank might be new to children’s books, he is certainly not new to cycling – as he is an avid rider and has cycle-toured many countries.
I like this book because it reminds me of riding my bike around Brisbane: the bayside, the theme park, the forest and the farming country – and all the happy times I’ve had wooshing around the city and getting to where I want to go FAST ….. it is lovely to see it expressed in such a unique and whimsical way.
More fun picture books for kids about bikes, please!
So, if you see this book in a bookstore or the library – take the time to flip through it- it is an entertaining, easy and highly recommended read.
