Cyclists in New York City with soon have the chance to chain their bikes to racks designed by former Talking Heads front man David Byrne.
The project sees Byrne team up with the New York City Department of Transportation with the help of the New York art gallery PaceWildenstein to create nine bicycle racks that will be placed at various locations around Manhattan and Brooklyn.Nine creations have been made, which include a dollar sign, a car, a guitar, a man, a woman, a dog, a coffee mug, a high heeled shoe and some kind of shape.
David Byrne said on his website, “The Department of Transportation is holding a design competition for outdoor and indoor bicycle racks, and I have agreed to help judge the entries. Enthused by their initiative, I sent them some sketches for imaginary bike racks named for specific NYC neighborhoods and locations.
“To my surprise, they responded by saying, “If you make these we'll put them up.” Holy Moses! I was over the moon , what happened to the legendary red tape and years of bureaucratic haggling I was supposed to go through'”
The racks will be on display for 364 days (yeah, that’s not a typo, weird, huh') and then will be sold as original pieces of art.
So next time you’re riding in Manhattan or Brooklyn and you see one of these shapes, don’t be afraid to chain your bike to them, that’s what they’re there for.
