Bike to Life

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BIKE TO LIFE

A type & graphic experiment by toormix

Typographic research project mounted with pieces of bikes. The goal is to create an alphabet, build words and compose posters with images of bike corpses, a collection of photographs of several abandoned bicycles around the world. This is one of the firsts projects we've developed in our parallel research space, the atelier.

The Toormix atelier is a new research space located outside the studio, at the street, and has been designed specifically to stimulate and develop new ways of working, and to help creative, formal and thinking research. It is a space made to search for new processes, the place to do experimental, interdisciplinary and innovative work, as well as workshops, creative meetings with clients, self initiated projects, creative workshops, exhibitions... The Toormix atelier is an idea lab where we can learn, grow professionally and enrich our future projects.

The beginning:

This project starts with an own collection of photos our team has shooted all over the world. Pictures of abandoned corpses bikes.

Process:

The idea of this project was to return to life the bikes through another format. We started to collect some bicycle pieces from various bike garages near our atelier in Gracia (Barcelona). Then, after cleaning all the material, we took pictures of the pieces on white background. Also making some type forms with them to compose an entire alphabet. We add some vector graphics to build fonts mixing photos and color elements.

The poster collection:

Here is the final poster collection divided in two parts, the "cities collection" and the "films and music collection".

The purpose of the first is back to life the bikes through a graphic tribute to the city where we find the piece. The second refers to films, tv series and songs in which the bicycle is the protagonist.

You can buy some of these pieces that have been exhibited in Madrid Gallery through our shop (http://toormix.bigcartel.com/) or clicking the "buy this" button next to the avaliable photos. These pieces are printed on nylon textile and framed with aluminium. Size: 50x70 cm.

For more information about this collection and other available printed materials please contact us at info@toormix.com

The exhibition:

This project has been exhibited and presented in various places and talks. These images are from the first exhibition in La Bicicleta Café Gallery in Madrid.

Spanish intro text:

Toormix es un estudio creativo de Barcelona especializado en proyectos de diseño, creación de marcas y comunicación gráfica nacido en el año 2000 de la mano de Ferran Mitjans y Oriol Armengou. Con vocación de abrirse a nuevos formatos e intereses, en el año 2012 crean un nuevo espacio –paralelo al estudio– para investigar formal y conceptualmente, realizar workshops y colaboraciones, organizar proyectos de innovación con empresas y poder también desarrollar proyectos propios. Uno de los primeros ejercicios creado en este espacio es el que se presenta en esta exposición.

Este proyecto nace de la inquietud e interés que tenemos en toormix por documentar objetos, entornos y escenas curiosas. Imágenes que hemos ido acumulando con los años y han sido tomadas en sucesivos viajes alrededor del mundo. Una de estas colecciones, la que retrata cadáveres de bicicletas, es la que articula este proyecto. Con la idea de hacer un pequeño homenaje a estas bicicletas, el proyecto ha partido de recopilar piezas deshechadas en varios talleres de reparación queriendo restituirles metafóricamente las partes sustraídas. Con fotografías de estas piezas y elementos gráficos geométricos se ha creado un alfabeto completo con el que se han desarrollado las distintas piezas aquí expuestas.

“Bike to Life” es, en definitiva, un homenaje a estas bicicletas abandonadas en las calles de varias ciudades del mundo. Un proyecto con el que les devolvemos de nuevo la vida.

Toormix

Barcelona 2012