About the project
!BeCycled!Project has been conceived as a permanent multimedia workshop for creation and presentation of artistic and documentary materials devoted to the bicycle and bicycle-related activities.
The frame of reference for the project’s creative adventures is set according to the same principle that enables a cyclist to move – the joining of balance and energy. The idea of bicycle, which gradually evolved into an object, is treated here as arich and complex subject matter: a vehicle, a sculpture, a workout machine, a logotype, a literary metaphor, a favorite toy.
The nameBeCycled is a compound of multiple meanings. Sounding very similar to the word “recycled,” it introduces a new notion and a new a contextbuilt around a real object – the bicycle. The first two letters are spelled “be” rather than “bi,”keeping the same pronunciation, but adding a new layer of meaning - “to be cycled” as in: turned around, moved around, a circling creature, a man-wheel, propelled by one’s own power… The word “becycled” is thus also an invitation, a suggestion, a challenge.
!BeCycled! Project has won one of three prizes of equal distinction awarded at the 40th Zagreb Salon for Applied Arts and Design (Gliptoteka, Zagreb, Croatia, April 12 – May 12, 2006)
About the exhibition
!BeCycled! Exhibition is a joint project of the Petikat Workshop, the Association Bicikl, and the Zagreb Museum of Technology, with support from the Arts Link international foundation and the City of Zagreb.
The authors of the exhibition are Danijel Zezelj, Stanislav Habjan (of Petikat), and Darinka and Damir Sirola (of Bicikl).
The exhibition explores the idea, form and purpose of the bicycle, ranging from individual artistic interpretations to historic and scientific facts about its invention. The showroom is also a space for multimedia events devoted to and inspired by thesethemes.
The centerpiece of the exhibition, entitled “Two-wheel Evolution,” is a display of 15 different kinds and models of bicycles that show the vehicle’s evolution. The authors of this installation are Darinka and Damir Sirola.
Artistic interpretations of the theme of the bicycle areexhibited as nine separatesections, the authors of which are Danijel Zezelj and Stanislav Habjan:
“Becycled Quotes”(9 digital prints 50 x 150 cm; also available as a graficka mapa)
“OurSkies” (installation, communication game, set of 36 cards)
“Transmission” (Chapter 2 of the graphic novel in the work-in-progress stage)
“The Metaphore Store” (installation, picture book, bakery)
“Pokret Okreta” (print workshop, school of “strih”)
“Bicycle Stop” (traffic sign, trade mark)
“Becycled Poster Design” (series of posters from 2005 – 2006)
“Man and Bicycle” (multimedia event, documenting of personal stories)
“Pedalinac” (graffiti and “bike-painting”)
The following lectures and workshops, organized by the Association Bickil, will be held in conjunction with the exhibition:
Life onBicycle, September 9
Bicycle as Tool, September 14
Cyclotourism, September 15
To School by Bicycle (Project presentation), September 19
Bicycle in Photography and on Film, September 20
Using the Power of Human Body, September 21
Bicycle – Getting Through the City, September 22
Bicycle and Health, September 26
All events will be held in the Museum’s cinema theater, starting at 12:00 noon. Museum’s regular hours are 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Tuesday to Friday, and 9:00 am to 1:00pm on Saturday and Sunday.Museum is closed on Monday.
The exhibition will close on September 27, 2006, with a multimedia performance by DB Indos, Jessica Lurie and Danijel Zezelj, and a presentation of artwork and products created during the three weeks of the workshop/exhibition. The occasion will also serve for the presentation of “!BeCycled! No. 1,” the first book/catalogue/magazine of!BeCycled! Project.
About the authors
Stanislav Habjan is the author of a number of conceptual art projects since 1983, combining writing, art and design. He has participated inart shows and happenings in Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia. Habjan is also the author of the books “An Impossible Variant” (1984) and “Interconfidential” (1999, with co-writer Boris Greiner). As a designer, he has created promotional materials for more than a hundred art projects, in Croatia and internationally. His posters were included in Graphis Poster Books for the years 1994, 1995, and 2004. He designed catalogues for the Croatian artists invited to the Venice Biennale in 1997, 2003 and 2005.
In 1999, Habjan won the prize for graphic design at the 34th Zagreb Art Salon for his work as art director of the magazine “Nomad” (on issues 1 - 18), and for a series of posters entitled “Carnet.” He collaborated with Danijel Zezelj, Jessica Lurie and Boris Greiner on the multimedia projects “Homo Volans,” “Mayakovsky’s Smile” and “Reflex”, produced in Croatia and Italy. Habjan is one of the founders of the Petikat Workshop.
Danijel Zezelj is a graduate of the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts and author of 25 graphic novels and comic books. In 1993, his graphic novel Il Ritmo del Cuore (“The Rhythm of the Heart”) was published by Editori del Grifo from Montepulciano, Italy, with a foreword by Federico Fellini. Zezelj moved to Seattle in 1995 and a few years later to New York, USA. His work has been shown in numerous art shows, and his illustrations have appeared in (and on the cover of) The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Chronicle, The San Francisco Guardian, Harper’s, and several other publications. He is the author or co-author of a number of projects that combine art, performance, music and film. His most recent graphic novel “Stray Dogs” came out in 2005. It was published by the IsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum in Boston, USA, in a special edition and as part of his one man show at the Museum. Zezelj is one of the founders of the Petikat Workshop.
Darinka and Damir Sirola are the founders and managers of the Association Bicikl. Founded in Zagreb in 2000, the Association now has more than 300 members. It became a full member of the European Cycling Federation in 2003. As Croatia’s representative in the Federation, the Associationhas since been responsible for participating in the programs and projects of wider social significance, such as:Cities for Cyclists, EuroVelo, Greenways, To School by Bicycle, Welcome by Bicycle, Bike Park (as part of the Sports and Nautical Fair), Zagreb Froggies???(nisam mogla procitat rijec, op.prev.) (monthly bicycle rides through the city center), Planet Earth Day (every April 20), Island of Pag Cycling Marathon, Bike Fest (as part of Cest is d’Best Festival), European Mobility Week (September 16 – 22, Godina?), European Car Free Day (every September 22), etc.