Creative Cycling

As cycling numbers continue to increase in London, and cycling becomes a lifestyle rather than simply a handy means of transport, so bike shops have adapted to accommodate everything from cafes, galleries and film nights.

Look Mum No Hands bike shop

Though purists would likely balk at the suggestion that cycling is about lifestyle, or even worse, about looking ‘cool’, the cliché of the hipster cyclist is well-worn enough to have been lampooned in ‘Being A Dickhead’s Cool’. This hit spoof music video identifies a ‘fixie’ (or for those not in the know, a single speed bicycle) as an indispensable element of their look, along with a vaguely ‘creative’ job or pastime such as blogger/ jewelry designer/ magazine editor. While the video is a cartoonish send-up, its certainly true that in London, creative areas like Hackney and Peckham are teeming with cyclists, and therefore its no surprise that fruitful collaborations have sprung up to bring them together.

The Bike Film Festival, for example, started in 2001 ‘as a platform to celebrate the bicycle through music, art and, of course, film’ and currently runs in around 30 cities worldwide. It screens films touching on all aspects of cycling life, from experimental animations to documentaries; tickets quickly sold out for the last London installment, in September 2011.

Meanwhile Magnificent Revolution, who describe themselves as an education project based in London made up of artists, musicians, designers, ecologists, and engineers have pioneered the use of pedal-powered energy for creative ends. Established 5 years ago, they started out generating electricity for bands at festivals like the Big Chill, but have gone on to organise film screenings, such as ‘Monkey With a movie Camera’ which took place recently at look mum No Hands. Members of the public are invited to participate by taking turn on the bikes, thereby creating the energy required to operate the projection equipment. For this event they teamed up with Gorilla Film Magazine, a collective of writers and filmmakers who self-publish a zine and selected the shorts and animations that made up the programme.

Film screening powered by cycling

Bike Yard East at Hackney City Farm, a bike mechanics which has already held film screenings and other events will play host to future Magnificent Revolution nights, such as a blockbuster film voted for by the public. As cycling becomes more and more popular with increases in the cost of public transport, collaborations between art and cycling look set to become staples of London life.