SRAM pART Project raises funds for World Bicycle Relief

A feature of the recent Interbike trade show in Las Vegas was an exhibition of artworks commissioned by the Chicago-based bike component maker SRAM.

SRAM sent a box of 100 random bike parts drawn from the SRAM family parts bins including Zipp, Rockshox and Truvativ to a group of artists, asking them to interpret the components into art in any way that inspired them.

The intention is to auction the works in an online contest starting October 15th 2011 to the highest bidders with the money raised going to the charity World Bicycle Relief.

The favourite in road.cc's own closely-fought office tea time contest is the piece above 'Parts in Beauty' by Ruben Feliciano, described as constructed from SRAM parts, faux grass and metal and we love how the bike bits look impossibly fragile considering their intended purpose. Also that Ruben is an industrial designer although he 'concentrates on organic design and the repurposing of materials.'

World Bicycle Relief serves people in underdeveloped regions of the world who suffer from lack of access to health care, education, and economic opportunity. According to the charity, "With a bicycle you can travel four times farther, carry five times more, and save up to three hours a day in travel time based on a 10-mile commute. So you can get to a doctor, to school, or to work faster and more safely."

One of the founders of SRAM; F K Day, the younger brother of company President Stan Day, was also a co-founder of World Bicycle Relief.

You can check out more examples of the art, register for the auction which starts on October 15th, or make a donation here: www.sram.com/partproject

'Moto' by Steve Radtke

Materials: SRAM parts, training wheels, flashlights, leather, steel, aluminium

Dimensions: 12" w x 21½" d x 12½" h

Statement: "I knew what my box of parts was going to become. The main "frame" pieces of my motorcycle jumped out at me immediately. The top fork piece as a single-sided swingarm was too perfect to resist. As I worked, I stopped seeing them as full-scale bike parts. My goal was to solve each design problem with the provided bike parts whenever possible. And with zero welding skill, I needed to use strategic assembly points to hold it all together firmly. Some details needed a custom solution, though. A small leather seat gives a proper perch. And a couple of cannibalized flashlights provide LED headlights powered by a hidden battery pack."

'Bloom' by Tiffany Holmes

Materials: SRAM parts, laser cut acrylic

Dimensions: 18" w x 11½" d 13½" h

Statement: "When I received my box of bicycle parts, my 3-year-old son and 1-year-old daughter tore through the plastic packing materials. Together, we created our first sculpture: a colorful tower. My husband, an architect, built a series of pyramids that resembled coral polyps. So, I had many innovative compositions to contemplate. When I began to play with the pieces, I saw a garden. I fabricated some gear-like forms that included some of the inspiring text from the World Bicycle Relief website. Then I began developing individual flower silhouettes by combining the words with the SRAM components. The result is Bloom—the beginning of an indoor garden. With more space I’d like to see it grow and expand to occupy a whole room."

'The Sprinter' by Jesse Meyer

Materials: SRAM parts, steel, hardware

Dimensions: 28" w x 15" d x 19" h

Statement: "The bicycle was developed to aid us in one of our most basic needs, a way to move efficiently from one place to the next. Henceforth the purpose of their benefit, SRAM’S parts are often affiliated with athleticism and racing, and are developed for the purpose of increasing the bicycle’s efficiency and performance. Since the bike is often thought of as an extension of the human body, and the body remains our most basic means of transportation, I thought to apply SRAM’s performance parts to an athletic human form, posed to launch into a race. Thanks to SRAM for your efforts towards and important and meaningful cause."

'Design for a Planet' by Mark Castator

Materials: SRAM parts

Dimensions: 13" w x 13" d x 17½" h

Statement: "My goal is to create, through sculpture, an exercise in engaging the eye. If you busy the eye, instead of the mind, you quiet the mind and open the heart. And hopefully, in this fast-paced world, find a moment of peace and tranquility. In my work I like to use repetition and quickness of gesture to create an overall movement. This draws the eye in, keeping it busy. Engage the eye. Quiet the mind. Open the heart."

'Samurai Bike Helmet' by Nicole Beck

Materials: SRAM parts, cycling helmet, silk tassel, hardware

Dimensions: 8" w x 12" d x 22" h

Statement: "This wearable warrior’s helmet embodies the spirit and characteristic decorations of a samurai’s kabuto complete with a silk Omamori tassel knot; an honourable talisman or lucky charm."

'SRAM NOT SWAM' by Kendall Polster

Materials: SRAM parts, steel, epoxy

Dimensions: 22½" w x 3" d x 18" h

Statement: "I WELD JUNK."

'Zoob Cube' by Richard Taylor

Materials: SRAM parts, aluminium, zip-ties

Dimensions: 19¾" w x 22" d x 22" h

Statement: "I am a sculptor, so space is important in my work. What would bike parts look like floating in space? In water? Falling through air? What if these bike parts did a slow ballet in three dimensions and they were caught momentarily in a cube? Zoob Cube."

'Goat' by Daniel Bertelli

Materials: SRAM parts, papier mache

Dimensions: 21" w x 12" d x 22" h