Gears of Amsterdam, Situated Technologies Studio
Januray 2015, University at Buffalo, New York
Architecture, Installation, Interaction Design
The Challenge
Anthropocene is a geologic chronological term that and serves to mark the evidence and extent of human activities that have had a significant global impact on the Earth’s ecosystems. Netherlands is one of the most human-influenced lands on earth. The land that is the Netherlands were reclaimed from the sea by ancient settlers who wanted more land to expand their livelihood. The Netherlands make for a very interesting ecosystem which depicts the resilience of nature and the constant influence of human beings.
The first half of the project was to study various aspects of 'Next Nature' in the Netherlands and choose one particular problem or urban issue that can be addressed with design. I studied the habitat of several cities in the Netherlands and I analysed various urban issues related to racism, theft, waste of resources and the likes. I found a very particular problem that was unique to Amsterdam, which is the growing number of abandoned bicycles in the city.
The Story
Every year in Amsterdam, over 70,000 bicycles are abandoned and taken to the bicycle repository, the Fietsdepot. More than half of these bikes end up rusting and rotting at this Bicycle Graveyard. The project aims to bring to the attention of the people of Amsterdam, the growing number of abandoned bicycles by means of a media sculpture made out of bicycle parts.
Bicycles are a very integral part of the identity of Amsterdam. This project aims to use this connection between the city and the bicycles to create an interaction between people in the town squares. This would also celebrate the uniqueness of the city and bring its people together.
An introductory video for the Gears of Amsterdam
Plan and elevations of the sculpture
The Prototype
The prototype of the bicycle wheel fitted with LED lights, a magnetic proximity sensor and a micro-controller to control the LEDs
The prototype testing
Bikes parked on the ground are connected to the wheels of the sculpture so that when the bikes are pedaled, the wheels in the sculpture rotate to produce different LED light images. Motors, diodes and batteries attached to the bicycles on the ground would generate electricity that would light up the LED spokes of the wheels in the sculpture. Participants are encouraged to input an image from a predetermined set of images that they want to be displaced on the sculpture using a software.
A test run of the prototype bicycle fitted with the LED lights in the spokes.
