co-production Design museum Gent and IMF Foundation
Opening 24th March, 7.30 p.m.
25/3 - 23/10/2016
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Bike to the Future is a joint effort of Design museum Gent and the IMF Foundation curated by Thomas Blanco Wittouck and Elisabetta Pisu, which offers a glimpse of the future of the bike. Both talent and inventiveness are the driving forces behind this exhibition, where brilliant ideas and ingenious prototypes are key. By combining form and technology in different ways, designers reinvent the bike time and again. The result is a photo finish of design, exquisite craftsmanship and industry.
The bicycle has been an icon since World War II. No longer a frame with two wheels, it is a symbol of a sustainable and sporty future. The visitors to the exhibition will discover all aspects of cycling in a unique story. The design, materials and comfort are far from the only aspects under the spotlight, as technology, mobility, safety, health and the cyclists’ community all have a place in the museum. Each part of the exhibition represents a different aspect of bicycle design. This is interspersed with bicycles and accessories, each with their own stories.
The exhibition showcases contemporary models, such as the electric bike ‘M.A.S.S.’ by Philippe Starck, as well as prototypes and experiments with unusual materials and functions. For example, the bendable bike of young British designer, Kevin Scott, is brought to Ghent for the occasion. The importance of bike accessories cannot be underestimated either. For example, the magnetic bicycle light ‘iFlash One’, designed by the Danish studio Kibisi or the ‘Hövding’ airbag helmets bring out the best in the aluminium steed.
Belgium, too, is well-represented in the exhibition, with bicycles from Eddy Merckx and Jaegher, as well as Tobias Knockaert’s laser-cut bicycle on display. Accessories originate from Curana, among others, a global trendsetter when it comes to aluminium mudguards.
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