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This weekend, the New York Times had a short piece on some new bicycle racks designed by David Byrne, who went from “judge” to “winner” in a recent New York-sponsored contest to design some racks for the city. Byrne’s racks, which were installed on Friday, seem to go for “whimsy” over “function,” with themed designs (a silhouette of a woman that looked like it was copied from a semi’s mudflap went into Times Square; a car-shaped rack called “The Jersey,” pictured, was installed near the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel) and space for maybe four or five bikes, max. Well, at least when they’re uninstalled, they’ll be able to sell in the low five figures, thanks to Byrne’s name recognition. After the jump, a Wall Street Journal video report on the racks’ creation that, at the very end, shows just how one might chain a bike to the dollar-sign-shaped “Wall Street”:
Oh and yes, Byrne’s collaboration with Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, hits stores a week from tomorrow. I doubt the racks will be covered with promotional posters as part of the run-up, but you never know.
David Byrne’s Bike Racks [YouTube]
David Byrne, Cultural Omnivore, Raises Cycling Rack to an Art Form [NYT]
Everything That Happens Will Happen Today [Official site]
Looks like he’s skipping out on marketing:
“I’m also wondering whether the web-curious will allow news of the album to spread more or less by itself. In the past, I might have undertaken all kinds of expensive marketing plans to prepare for a record release: there would be a teaser, live shows, posters, magazine ads, interviews, and advance CDs sent to writers and reviewers. We’ve done a few interviews, but that’s about it. It will be interesting to see if audiences find out about this song – and the record – without all those marketing techniques, and solely through Internet word-of-mouth.”
[journal.davidbyrne.com]
the designs are clever in a visual way, but if it’s you who bangs a hip into the extruding point of the top of the dollar sign, I’m sure you’ll be thinking ‘who the fu*k though THAT was a good idea??’…
They have to function without undue risk to the pedestrian traffic as well…that’s why the basic indusrtrial bike racks are so point-less…
I just hope it’s not some young kid’s forehead that that taks the brunt of all that cleverness….