About the artwork

Three indoor bicycles sit in the middle of the natural environment. When pedaled, a counter displays the energy produced by visitors. The invention of the bicycle in the 19th century led to a revolutionary improvement of the ratio between effort and efficiency. Since then, societies have found 1001 new ways to economize on muscular force. The energies which allow societies to operate today are no longer linked to those developed by our muscles. Gyms are situated alongside power stations, constrained to produce useless and absurd energy. The bicycle, the vehicle of escape, is now immobilized on gym floors. View from a Bike sets free this distant cousin of the original bicycle.