Search Results for: bicycle

Chandeliers Made from Salvaged Bicycle Parts

Chandeliers Made from Salvaged Bicycle Parts recycling lighting design bicycles

Artist Carolina Fontoura Alzaga constructs impressive chandeliers using chains, wheels and other parts from old bicycles as part of a series she calls CONNECT. Alzaga has lived in Brazil and Mexico and now works out of a studio in Los Angeles where the Etsy Blog recently caught up with her to conduct the interview and tour above. Of her work she says:

This developing body of work draws inspiration from the aesthetics of victorian era chandeliers, DIY and Bike Culture, and follows an art tradition of utilizing non artistic materials for sculpture.

This series addresses class codes, power dynamics, reclaimed agency, and ecological responsibility. The traditional chandelier is seen as a bourgeois commodity, a cachet of affluence, excess, and as such power. The recycled bicycle parts become a representation of the dismissed, invisible, and powerless, but are also an affirmation of self-propelled movement. The bicycle chandelier thereby creates a new third meaning of reclaimed agency.

I think if I ever had need for a chandelier it would definitely be one of these. Alzaga has a number of pieces currently available in her shop. (via laughing squid)

New Bicycle Chain Sculptures by Young-Deok Seo

New Bicycle Chain Sculptures by Young Deok Seo sculpture chains bicycles

Korean sculptor Young-Deok Seo has been busy since first appearing here back in 2011. The artist has continued working almost exclusively with welded chains reclaimed from bicycles and elsewhere. Seo most recently exhibited at SODA Gallery in Istanbul. A statement from that show:

Seo Young Deok’s work aims to reflect the disease-like contamination we experience caused by materials in our society, he hopes to reveal the amount of suffering it places on the modern-day human. To express this, he utilized metal chains to create the modern man. Chains were made by our civilization and created through mass production, yet it is also just one accessory, one part in a massive piece of machinery. He considered each part of the chain a human cell and used the chains to create a human figure. Thus, this being’s form has been created in contamination by materials in our current world.

You can follow more of his work over on Facebook. (via my modern met)

By Christopher on April 1, 2013 • bicycles chains sculpture

Aerial Bicycle

Spotted this on Designspiration but can’t track down a source. Anyone?

By Christopher on April 15, 2011 • cycling documentary

Wooden Bicycle & Book Shelf

Wooden Bicycle & Book Shelf wood home furniture cycling bicycles

A beautiful multi-functional shelf by the folks over at the aptly named Knife & Saw. (via selectism)

By Christopher on September 21, 2010 • bicycles cycling furniture home wood

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books
Bicycle, 1980s; Raleigh; Component count: 893. Photo reproduced with the permission of Thames & Hudson.

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books
Chainsaw, 1990s; Homelite; Component count: 286. Photo reproduced with the permission of Thames & Hudson.

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books
Laptop Computer, 2006; Apple; Component count: 639. Photo reproduced with the permission of Thames & Hudson.

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books
Children’s Wagon, 2011; Schwinn; Component count: 296. Photo reproduced with the permission of Thames & Hudson.

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books
Smartphone, 2007; BlackBerry; Component count: 120. Photo reproduced with the permission of Thames & Hudson.

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books
Swiss Army Knife, 2000s; Victorinox; Component count: 38.

Things Come Apart, 50 Disassembled Objects in 21,959 Individual Parts by Todd McLellan objects books

I’ll never forget the excitement I felt the first time I disassembled a telephone. I was eight years old, on our back porch with just an old screwdriver and a pair of pliers, but seeing what was inside this everyday object was a discovery akin to unearthing a dinosaur. The sudden knowledge that the speaker part was magnetic and contained a mile of thin copper wiring was practically miraculous. When the day was over, I was surrounded by pieces of am/fm radio, an old handheld video game, and a toy car, none of which would ever be assembled again, but that really wasn’t the point. Master disassembler Todd McLellan remarks on a similar childhood discovery in his latest book, Things Come Apart from Thames & Hudson, but for him, it wasn’t fleeting like it was with me. It was the beginning of his life-long career in documenting the technological methods of modern mass production in reverse.

In Things Come Apart, McLellan exposes the inner working of 50 objects and 21,959 individual components as he reflects on the permanence of vintage machines built several decades ago—sturdy gadgets meant to be broken and repaired—versus today’s manufacturing trend of limited use followed by quick obsolescence. Captured in his photography are myriad parts laid flat and organized by function, creating recontextualized images of wagons, chainsaws, computers, and phones. He also shoots high-speed photos of carefully orchestrated drops where pieces are shot in midair as they come crashing down, creating impressive visual explosions. Also appearing in the book is his pièce de résistance: a Zenith CH 650 aircraft photographed as individual components.

The book is officially published tomorrow, but you can order it now on Amazon and Thames & Hudson. All images copyright Todd McLellan courtesy of the publisher.

Update: If you’re in Chicago, McLellan currently has an exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry through May 19th.

By Christopher on May 6, 2013 • books objects

Interactive Paintings on the Streets of Malaysia

Interactive Paintings on the Streets of Malaysia street art Malaysia

A great new street artist is making a splash in Malaysia this month. Painter Ernest Zacharevic created four new works where his painted figures of mischievous children are seen interacting with their physical surroundings: an old bicycle, a motorcycle, or even windows on the side of a building. His most popular piece of two small children on a large bicycle has become a major destination in the city with dozens of people stopping to take creative photos. I want to thank Annie and Ross of the very fine AsiaDreaming blog for providing many of the photographs for this post. The rest you can see on Zacharevic’s Facebook. (via lustik, art and seasons)

By Christopher on July 1, 2012 • Malaysia street art

Animation on a Bike

Animation on a Bike zoetropes bicycles animation

Here’s a wonderful zoetrope animation using paper discs mounted on bicycle wheels by Katy Beveridge as part of her 3rd year dissertation project at CSM in London. Beveridge mentions being partially influenced by the technique of Tim Wheatley who has also explored the ideas of bicycle-wheel animation. See many more zoetrope videos previously on Colossal. (via peta pixel)

By Christopher on November 25, 2011 • animation bicycles zoetropes

Michael Konstantin Wolke Upcycles Found Objects to Create Beautifully Designed Furniture, Lighting, and Storage

Michael Konstantin Wolke Upcycles Found Objects to Create Beautifully Designed Furniture, Lighting, and Storage upcycling recycling lighting furniture

Light shades made from recycled corrugated cardboard.

Michael Konstantin Wolke Upcycles Found Objects to Create Beautifully Designed Furniture, Lighting, and Storage upcycling recycling lighting furniture

Expandable shelving and bench storage made from patched bicycle tubes.

Michael Konstantin Wolke Upcycles Found Objects to Create Beautifully Designed Furniture, Lighting, and Storage upcycling recycling lighting furniture

A wall-mounted storage basket constructed from a salvaged shopping cart.

Michael Konstantin Wolke Upcycles Found Objects to Create Beautifully Designed Furniture, Lighting, and Storage upcycling recycling lighting furniture
Urban seating made from steel and mesh fencing.

Cologne-based designer Michael Konstantin Wolke upcycles found objects, converting them into new works that are as equally functional as stunning. My favorite by far is his expandable wardrobe made from patched bicycle innertubes that have been wrapped around a solid metal frame. This is genuinely brilliant work and I can’t wait to see what he cobbles together next. (via de|zine)