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Preview of Fixed-gear: Maximal Reduction – Fixed-gear Goes Global
Previews
By Le Vin Chin
“Fixed-gear?” What's that? A trend? A scene? A movement? A lifestyle? Shame on you if you haven't heard of the term, which we’ve featured prominently in our October Newsletter and in two articles in our third edition of INMYX.
But never mind, if you’re still not sure what the Fixed-gear movement is all about, an upcoming pair of exhibitions will fill you in! Running in parallel in Los Angeles and Berlin from February 1-17, 2008, the “Maximal Reduction” exhibitions will feature the fixed-gear bikes themselves, as well as art design from the scene, color and material studies, bike parts, videos and digital prints, all exploring the “impact of the growing Fixed-gear scene on the material and color perception by the designer scene”.
With bikes pared down to the minimum – removing brakes, gears, and with the rear cog bolted directly to the hub (making freewheeling impossible) – the Fixed-gear concept has inspired a lifestyle, and an attending design aesthetic, evolving from its origins among the bike messengers and couriers of the major cities.
There are growing Fixed-gear scenes in New York, Tokyo, Berlin and Los Angeles – among others – and one exciting feature of the exhibitions will be that bikes from Los Angeles will be shown in Berlin and vice versa, with the exhibition spaces connected by webcam.
Ciba is proud to be one of the sponsors of this event, organized by design research agency visual research, and we look forward to seeing you, either in L.A. or Berlin!
Locations:
Berlin: Visual-Research, Bruns & Spies GbR, VR-Gallery, Kastanienallee 44, Berlin Mitte
Los Angeles: Rogue Status, 1720 Main Street, Venice, CA 90291
