JCDecaux donates bikes to Metro Arts for the Brisbane Festival

With the CityCycle scheme having ended in Brisbane after 10 years leading Out of Home media company JC Decaux has donated bike parts and full bicycles to Metro Arts as part of their unique art installation "The Mechanics of Adaptation" as part of the 2021 Brisbane Festival.

A myriad of bike parts and full bikes have been repurposed by five local artists for the exhibition which is running from 3 to 26 September. It was through the donation of JC Decaux that inspired the exhibition which will be featured outdoors on Mollison Green at West Village. The exhibition is not to be missed.

Chief Executive Officer Steve O’Conner was pleased to be able to donate the bikes and parts as the initiative aligned with JCDecaux’s sustainability strategy and commitment to the Brisbane community.

“Although our iconic CityCycles will disappear from Brisbane’s streets, the people of Brisbane will still get to enjoy the bikes in a different way, as part of an innovative art installation and exhibition. We are committed to sustainability and giving back to the community, so I was delighted to donate hundreds of bike parts to be reimagined for this art project by Metro Arts, which also supports the amazing work of Traction with young people,” O’Connor said.

The initial City Cycle project in 2010 saw 2,00 bikes, bike docks and parking stations across Brisbane’s CBD and inter city as part of Brisbane City’s sustainability and environment initiatives.

Brisbane City are pleased that the bikes are being reimagined through art with the Chair for Transport Cr Ryan Murphy saying that CityCycle played a big part in Brisbane as part of the City’s active transport and shared mobility initiative and is pleased the bikes are being reimagined through art, noting that both CityCyles and the Brisbane Festival are quintessentially ‘Brisbane’.

Metro Arts CEO and Creative Director, Jo Thomas said: “JCDecaux approached us with the idea of donating bike parts for a project which inspired this new exhibition ‘Mechanics of Adaption’. As part of the project, some of Brisbane’s hottest, contemporary artists have been working with students from The Sycamore School, a school for children on the autism spectrum, in workshops run by Traction, a non-profit organisation focused on building the confidence of vulnerable young people.”

Although sad that the CityCycle scheme is no longer part of the streets of Brisbane, they are pleased that the cycles are being commemorated in such an incredible artistic way.

The "Mechanics of Adaption" is on display at Metro Arts and West Village from 3–26 September as part of Brisbane Festival. Out of Home media company JCDecaux donates bikes to Metro Arts for the Brisbane Festival