Sur Place News
The place to be for all the latest news concerning Sur Place. Interviews, events, background stories and photo reports: if it's bike related, you'll find it here. Don't hesitate to leave a comment.
MeBike & After Midnight
Bikes, music, fashion and photography: the final Sur Place party.
We celebrated the final week of Sur Place with the MeBike world championship of dream bicycles, fashion performances by Milena Heussler and Girls on Bikes, and the Subbacultcha! After Midnight party and book launch.
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De winnaar van de MeBike dream bike competitie.-
THE WINNING BIKE made during MeBike 2010 at Mediamatic Bank. MeBike was part of the final Sur Place party. Picture by Attilio Brancaccio. 14 August 2010.
Sur Place
Sur Place has come to an end. The exhibition on urban bike culture attracted dare devils, housewives, cool kids and creatures, bicycle fanatics and gear collectors. Mediamatic Bank shows the traces of two months of racing, collecting and sharing of thoughts and ideas. We celebrated the closing of the exhibition with the MeBike race, a Subbacultcha! After Midnight book launch and photo exhibition, bands, djs, and two fashion performances.
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JustinFixed gear cycling
Just another postmodern subculture, courtesy of Generation Y?
The fixie subculture lacks the political dimension that characterized subversive subcultures of the past. What is it trying to communicate?
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Fashion and fixies. Pink socks.-
Photo by Dan DeLuca, found on Flickr.
In 1979 cultural theorist Dick Hebdige broke down the meaning of style for subcultural groups wanting to mark themselves as opposed to the mainstream. He pointed to Teddy Boys of the 1950s who mocked Britain's social decline by dressing in a flamboyant bourgeois style, and Punks who are never too far from their politically charged leather jackets; adorned with studs, animal prints, and patches of all types. Clothing as expression is one thing, but what is to be said about bicycles as expression?
In urban environments around the world, the fixed-gear subculture is becoming noticeably more present. Aside from the increase in traffic ...
simonaPedal to the metal
Mastering skid stops and track stands.
Saturday June 19th, the fabulous Keng Pereira taught a group of eager cyclists how to ride a fixed gear bike.
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June 19 2010, Mediamatic "how to ride a fixed bike" workshop, in front of het Muziektheater
After a short introduction into the history of track bikes, and a tour through the Sur Place exhibition, everybody hopped on a bike. Time to hit the road to get some hands-on experience!
We successfully maneuvered the streets of Amsterdam, and arrived at the Muziektheater on Waterlooplein, where the real fun started. Sunshine and the Dutch victory over Japan (1-0) ensured happy faces and a will to conquer. After two hours, everyone had mastered skid stops and track stands, and were ready to take on the indoor track. A great day, all in all. There are another few fixie master classes in the pipeline, so keep your eye on this website. ...
The Final Race
Alleycat & Picnic on Sunday August 22
The Sur Place exhibition is coming to an end. After a great party weekend with MeBike and Subbacultcha!, we dare you to ride the Alleycat race with us one last time. Participating is free. After the finish there is a picnic in the Mediamatic garden. You can visit the exhibition until August 22.
ikCam Alleycat at 2 pm / Picnic and movies at 4 pm
An Alleycat race is an informal bicycle race, often organized by bike messengers. To end the Sur Place exhibition in style, Mediamatic is organizing the final ikCam Alleycat competition.
Pick up your ikTag at the Mediamatic Bank around 1.30 pm. Take a good look at the checkpoint addresses below. Decide which route you want to take and wait for the start signal. You can log in by holding your ikTag in front of the monitor positioned in the window of each checkpoint. There are various checkpoints around Amsterdam. After you've logged in to all of them, get over to Mediamati...
Portret van de Fietsfabriek
De roerige geschiedenis van een oer-Amsterdams bedrijf.
Donderdag 3 juni, toonde Mediamatic "Failliet of Niet: de Fietsfabriek." Frans Bromet kwam vertellen over zijn project. Kort na het tonen van deze film, berichtte het Parool dat de Fietsfabriek failliet is gegaan.
BasBright Bikes, Big City
Make your bike seen with retroreflective vinyl
As part of the Sur Place exhibition, Mediamatic will be organizing tons of salons, parties, film screenings and workshops. The first of these workshops takes place on Saturday June 12. Join us and make your bike visible to the world using retroreflective vinyl.
The Bright Bike project is the brainchild of Michael Mandiberg, senior fellow at Eyebeam (New York). A Bright Bike is a Retroreflective Vinyl coated bike. It's like coating your bike with a big sticker that turns ultra-bright in headlights.
During this workshop you can use one of the pre-made kits supplied by Michael. You can choose between caterpillar or pin stripes, and from a small selection of colors. Or you can cut out your own design. There will be a range of retroreflective vinyl in various colors. Great for people who want to cover their bike in stars or flowers, or whatever shapes and forms rock your bike loving socks....
The secrets of the fixed gear bike
Interview with Mike Giant
American tattoo and graffiti artist Mike Giant explains what makes riding a fixed gear bike so special.
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Mike Giant working on his artwork for the Sur Place exhibition.
Without any concept or idea beforehand of what he's going to make, graffiti and tattoo artist Mike Giant fills the wall inside the Mediamatic Bank with various types of words and letters. The wall painting is part of ‘Sur Place’, Mediamatic’s new exhibition on urban bike culture. New York born graffiti- and tattoo artist Mike Giant became popular in New York's urban culture scene. His work is characterized by a mixture of death, erotica, old school hand drawings and elements of pop culture. Giant, himself a big lover of the fixed gear bike, came to Amsterdam to promote th...
MaykenPristine expo
More Fixed Art by Mike Giant and Saskia Haex
Pristine Fixed Gear hosts a nice arty extension to Sur Place. Head over there for some more work by the great Mike Giant, and for wheels on canvas by the equally great Saskia Haex. You can have a cupcake and a drink at the freshly inaugurated Pristine tearoom.
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Pristine wall painting by Mike Giant.-
Picture by Mike Giant at the REBEL8 blog.
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Saskia Haex' wheels on canvas at Pristine.-
Picture by Mike Giant at the REBEL8 blog.
The exhibition opened on Sunday, May 9 with the screening of trick movie Death Pedal 2.
To be visited until July during shop hours.
Opening Party Sur Place
Enter the rollercoaster, feel the adrenaline
On May, 8, Mediamatic Bank hosted the perfect after party to a day filled with bicycle delicacies. It was also an exciting kick-off for a great exhibition to come. See more pictures in our photo gallery
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Photo taken by Michal Dudzinski from Fotoduda.
- Goldsprint competition
- Track-stand competition
- DJ Samidi
- DJ Santina Runaway
Program Saturday May 8th
Top day for ciclistas
Saturday, May 8 was a top day for bike freaks. Never have so many cyclotastic events been up for grabs on one and the same day in the city of Amsterdam. For lovers of pink lycra and aerodynamic bikes the Giro was a feast for the eyes. For those who were infected with competition fever there was the Polomania! bike polo tournament organized by EHV...
Polomania!
Hardcourt Bike Polo Tournament
A steel horse. Three to three. Hard court. This is the essence of Hardcourt Bike Polo. An excellent way of celebrating the Giro d'Italia, which arrived next door the very same day.
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Hardcourt Bike Polo Tournament - Saturday 8th May - Amsterdam
The tournament took place at the Johan Cruyff court, located next to Olympisch Stadion, where the Giro d'Italia riders crossed the finish line the very same day.
Teams from The Netherlands, Ge...
