White Bicycle? (18. May 2007, 08:46 by Derek Young) ~ Ride Safe
Does anybody know the story of this white bicycle on South 7th between Fawcett and Tacoma Avenue. We found it yesterday after leaving Blackwater. Is it a ghostcycle? Art project? Or is it something else enirely?
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My vote is an art project or a memorial of some kind. Lovely though.
1 | Posted by KevinFreitas | May 18, 08:53 AM
I thought it was part of another Lynn DiNino community art project like the Suitecases and Red Doors. Very cool!
2 | Posted by morgan | May 18, 08:56 AM
I was thinking ghost bike…
Either that or it’s a castoff from the Zeit Bike competition???
3 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | May 18, 08:59 AM
My guess is that it has something to do with bike to work week? 2007 Oficial Bike to Work Day is May 18th.
4 | Posted by Broadweezy | May 18, 09:48 AM
The White Bicycle project was something done in Seattle a few years ago. A group of s=cyclists placed white bikes all over the city where there had been cycling accidents to remind people to Share the Road. I am sure this is in conjunction with Bike to Work month. No bikes seen in Seattle this year….
5 | Posted by Amy | May 18, 10:17 AM
In Portland I believe it’s common practice to mark a spot where a cyclist has been killed or injured with a white bike. That’s probably what this is.
6 | Posted by Daniel | May 18, 11:57 AM
I saw it a few days ago and was wondering if it was a ghostcycle. It’s been there since at least Monday.
7 | Posted by Annie J | May 18, 01:06 PM
There was an art bike exhibit at TAM yesterday… just 7 bikes were entered but there were some cool pieces. Perhaps someone decided to forego the museum display and place it in a public space to get folks talking.
8 | Posted by Sharon | May 18, 02:06 PM
I fly through there every morning on my way to work. Maybe I’ll slow down a bit..
9 | Posted by Scott Hunter | May 18, 08:18 PM
Saw this last night! There was a bottle of wine in front of it then.
10 | Posted by Rebecca | May 18, 09:28 PM
I’ve seen this bicycle on a number of occasions recently and it never fails to make me smile and see the world in just a slightly better light. I thank whoever left it on display and hope to continue seeing it in the coming days. It is strange when a bicycle painted white and adorned with flowers can do more for my attitude than the countless dollars spent on so-called “civic beautification” projects. This is why we need our artists, this is why we need our creative people. Tacoma must not run these people off.
11 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | May 18, 09:36 PM
Little confused by Crenshaw Sepulveda’s post – what do you mean by “civic beautification” projects as opposed to stuff being done by artists?
As John Cage said, “sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t”. Most aesthetic efforts are crap but, with all of that fertilizer, every once in awhile there is a beautiful flower that grows out of the dung heap of failed efforts.
The category of “civic beautification” is very broad and includes such incredible successes as the Olympic Sculpture Garden in Seattle. Public art is, by nature, aesthetics by committee and so it oftentimes is least common denominator.
Most public art is, like most art, crap. There is a tendency towards “safe” or “whimsy” (gawd how I hate the term “whimsical” when used to describe art). But there are some beautiful flowers that grow inspite of the stiffling process.
12 | Posted by beerBoy | May 19, 07:44 AM
I just don’t know, beerBoy.I guess what I was making reference to would be projects like the city deciding to put in hanging flower baskets or those amusing banner flags that crop up from time to time to define a district. I’ll take the bike with the flowers any day of the week. Love public art, even if it is bad, like the sculpture in front of the Marcato. I tend to love it more when it actually involved some thought and creativity. The beauty of a city is simply a reflection of the beauty of its residents and businesses. Compare Black Water cafe to a typical Starbucks, which is more beautiful, and none of that it is subjective nonsense. We have some great people in this town that can make things work and do beautiful things. I never want Tacoma to lose these people. I’ll suffer, gladly the loss of another Starbucks or the blue abomination in front of the Marcato.
13 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | May 19, 09:31 AM
Crenshaw said: “Love public art, even if it is bad, like the sculpture in front of the Marcato.”
Hehe. Swear to god, the first time I saw that thing while coming down the hill, my immediate thought was, “I wonder what’s under that giant tarp…”
14 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | May 19, 10:39 AM
Crenshaw said: “Love public art, even if it is bad, like the sculpture in front of the Marcato.” bq.
Does anyone know who the artist is of that thing? While I’m not exactly thrilled with it, it looks suspiciously like a Calder. But then again, is the neigborhood ready for something like that?
15 | Posted by Joel Larson | May 19, 10:30 PM
That blue thing is the tallest piece of privately commissioned and owned public art in Tacoma! And they advertise it as such. I vaguely recall that it was created by the developer.
Totally agree about Starbucks, McDonalds, Walmart, Target malling of America so that you can be anywhere and be in the same place. If we lose our views of the Thea Foss we can pretend we live in Anytown, USA.
16 | Posted by beerBoy | May 20, 07:29 AM
here’s the story on the blue abomination: It was created by Michael Weinstein, architect & visionary that initiated the Marcato development. My head hurt when it rolled in on the truck the blue was a big surprise. It reminds me that urban regeneration is a dynamic convergence…Weinstein made a mark on Tacoma with condos. The torch has been passed…what do you want the center of downtown to be like?
17 | Posted by stacy | May 20, 09:26 AM
Wow, the giant blue sculpture is even unpopular amongst the developers of Marcato…
18 | Posted by jamie from thriceallamerican | May 21, 12:28 PM
I’ll stick up for a little bit by saying … in 20 years, if it’s still there, people will feel affection for the sculpture because it’s so just weird and odd and blue. And they’ll ask “why did anyone think it was a good idea?” and someone will shrug and say, “it’s Tacoma” but they will like Tacoma for its weird blue sculptures just as much as we like it for its quirks now.
19 | Posted by Erik Hanberg | May 21, 01:18 PM
It’s hardly shocking. Even the color. I think it brightens the corner without being garish. If all outdoor art was dumbed down to the safest common denominator, the most well-known signature art throughout the country probably wouldn’t exist. Or perhaps the more cost-effective option of no art at all would have been the safest choice. If we continue to have different versions of the Tacoma Dome art controversy 27 years later, then we are showing the world we still haven’t arrived. And perhaps shouldn’t. How about the blue crystal Popsicles on the Bridge of Glass? Didn’t that take a while for some people to get “used to?” Or examples up north, Hammering Man or even the Fremont Troll? Well still dealing with pretty tame examples down here.
20 | Posted by Dave L. | May 21, 03:53 PM
It’s hardly shocking. Even the color. I think it brightens the corner without being garish.
Tacoma Avenue needs all of the brightening it can get. This is still a pretty distressed area to put it mildly.
The blue art likely will not win any awards but it is much better than alot of the art at WWU when I went there. Perhaps in a few years, they will replace it with a flying turtle.
I remember from that corner a fine view of Mt. Rainier once provided all the art that I needed. Now I’m left to ponder the turkey before the albatross.
22 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | May 21, 09:25 PM
“I remember from that corner a fine view of Mt. Rainier once “
For maybe four years of the last hundred. There was a very neglected old store building at that site until 2001 or 02. I think it burned down. The blue thing and new residents are definitely an improvement over an abandoned street.
23 | Posted by rp | May 21, 09:58 PM
Well, at least I still have the Acme Grub Cage.
24 | Posted by Crenshaw Sepulveda | May 21, 10:18 PM
the blue thing makes me think of tractor equipment and tornados.
25 | Posted by ben | May 22, 05:51 PM
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