June 01, 2006
The Busycle
Cross Country Story Collecting Tour
The Busycle, a 15 person pedal powered bus, is taking its first U.S. Story Collecting Tour. The Busycle is a story collection vehicle. The traveling public art piece will start in Boston, and, hauled by a grease/ bio-diesel vehicle, will end in San Francisco. Between, the Busycle will visit cities and collect stories of the people who pedal it.
In cities across the U.S., the Busycle will travel neighborhoods, where anyone willing to pull their weight and pedal can be a Busycle passenger. At the end of the route, a story collection space will be constructed (in places ranging from parks to warehouses to galleries). At this temporary story collection space, everyone has the option of being a participant. And just as the Busycle doesn’t run without the pedaling, this venue doesn’t run without the contribution of stories.
It’ll be an urban play on the campfire as the traditional space for story telling and stories will be recorded on video. Stories recorded in one city will be shared in the next city, connecting the experiences and stories of the tellers and listeners. Everyone is asked to bring a blanket (and their story, if they choose) to the story collection.
The Busycle Cross Country Story Collecting Tour: WHEN: June 2006; STARTING POINT: Boston; MIDDLE POINTS: Providence, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Marquette NE, Minneapolis, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Reno; ENDING POINT: San Francisco; CONTACT: Heather Clark / Matthew Mazzotta, 617-721-3475, busycle[at]gmail.com
The Busycle, under development since 2005, runs solely on the energy of its passengers. All passengers are required to pull their weight and pedal in their seats. The pedal power then moves the Busycle from destination to destination. The Busycle’s public life involves experimental public rides that travel down city streets, where story telling is of the essence. It is our goal that by bringing art and technology clearly into the public realm and as near to the community as possible (what could be closer than riding an art project down the streets where people live and inviting them onto the art?), we will begin to stir a dialogue about the current and universal issues from which the Busycle has grown, while creating a forum for people to pause and enjoy.
Posted by jo at June 1, 2006 08:42 AM
