BIKE DATE began in 2012 in Buffalo NY. BIKE DATE is an ongoing practice-as-research art project conducted in North and South American cities.
Bike Date is an accompanied bike ride for two people, the artist and the Bike Date participant. A practice-as-research art project, Bike Date documents the spatial and environmental perceptions of the embodied experience of Women, Trans, and Female identified (WTF) cyclists while on the roadway, and is conducted in North and South American Cities.
I consider the Bike Date as the “Canary in the Coal Mine” to critically engage issues concerning gender and mobility in glocalized communities defined by economic and political structures.
Bike Date participants generate an audio recorded narration of their cycling experience while on the road by using a wireless microphone attached to their helmet strap. At the conclusion of the ride, the participant is asked for a representation of their experience – this can be a line drawing, writing, etc. Bike Date components include photography, video, audio recording and gps location data. These are used to understand the embodied experience of the female identified cyclist while on the roadway.
The Bike Date components may be presented as an installation in cities where Bike Date has been conducted. As an example, Bike Date audio recorded narratives have been accessed through large format printed QR codes.
Bike Date audio recordings have been accessed via a laminated booklets that are zip tied to bike locking sites. The laminated booklets include a qr code pointing to a Bike Date audio recording, the transcription of the corresponding audio recording, and contact information to arrange a Bike Date. These booklets are distributed as found objects that contain personal experiences.
Bike Date edited audio can be broadcast via the partner project Rest Stop Bike Repair Shop.
Bike Date has been presented at NoAutomatico, Monterrey Mexico; El Parche and El Sanitoria, Bogota Colombia; Landscape Across the Disciplines: A Symposium, Buffalo NY; Tempus Fugit, Buffalo NY; Performing Economies, Buffalo NY; and Open Engagement, Queens Museum, Queens NY.
Bike Date 2013 video: Bike Date
To participate email bikedateproject@gmail.com
Bike Date is supported in part by the Department of Media Study at the University at Buffalo, the Pierre McAloon Award, and Techne Institute for Arts and Emerging Technologies
Laura Curry 