PEOPLE . PLACES
Biking Boom
3 × 30' (GER, ENG subs, FRE)
An astonishing hype has helped the bicycle to a renaissance in recent years. The bike became a cult object. Especially in urban areas it is considered a popular means of transport.
Since their invention 200 years ago, bicycles have also been a symbol of freedom, and for artists often more than just a faithful companion. Why is the bicycle so trendy? Who are the people who distill a philosophy of life from their everyday use? The three-part documentary series Biking Boom sheds light on the passionate and creative relationship between man and bicycle.
1. Cycling as Lifestyle
In many European metropolises there is a pulsating and diverse biker scene, in which cycling is honoured, lived and carefully cared for as a lifestyle. Here the bicycle is far more than just a means of transport. On the streets of Berlin you can see more and more fixies: bikes without gears and without brakes. And in London there are not only bicycle cafés but even a Cycle Speed Dating, where cycling enthusiasts can meet like-minded singles.
2. The Bicycle in Art and Pop Culture
The bicycle is a masterpiece. Its shape is poetic, its mechanics perfect and its symbolism is not obsolete. This is why it has inspired artists from all over the world for over a hundred years. The painter Taliah Lempert from New York knows only one motif for her paintings: bicycles. And in Italy Gianluca Gimini conducts a curious experiment. He asks passers-by to draw a bicycle from memory. Hardly any of these fantasy wheels would be able to ride in reality. But the art world owes Gimini countless new, creative models.
3. Protest Culture on Two Wheels
The bicycle is an everyday means of transport. And at the same time it stands for resistance and protest. The second part of the series "Biking Boom" shows different forms of demonstrations on bikes in Los Angeles, London and Berlin. The protest is particularly dangerous in Iran, where a ban on women riding bicycles was declared in 2016. Some Iranian women do not allow themselves to be deterred and use bicycles to fight for their freedom rights.
In many European metropolises there is a pulsating and diverse biker scene, in which cycling is honoured, lived and carefully cared for as a lifestyle. Here the bicycle is far more than just a means of transport. On the streets of Berlin you can see more and more fixies: bikes without gears and without brakes. And in London there are not only bicycle cafés but even a Cycle Speed Dating, where cycling enthusiasts can meet like-minded singles.
2. The Bicycle in Art and Pop Culture
The bicycle is a masterpiece. Its shape is poetic, its mechanics perfect and its symbolism is not obsolete. This is why it has inspired artists from all over the world for over a hundred years. The painter Taliah Lempert from New York knows only one motif for her paintings: bicycles. And in Italy Gianluca Gimini conducts a curious experiment. He asks passers-by to draw a bicycle from memory. Hardly any of these fantasy wheels would be able to ride in reality. But the art world owes Gimini countless new, creative models.
3. Protest Culture on Two Wheels
The bicycle is an everyday means of transport. And at the same time it stands for resistance and protest. The second part of the series "Biking Boom" shows different forms of demonstrations on bikes in Los Angeles, London and Berlin. The protest is particularly dangerous in Iran, where a ban on women riding bicycles was declared in 2016. Some Iranian women do not allow themselves to be deterred and use bicycles to fight for their freedom rights.
Episodes:
1. Cycling as Lifestyle
2. The Bicycle in Art and Pop Culture
3. Protest Culture on Two Wheels
Facts
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Original TitleBiking Boom
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Year2018
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Length3 × 30' (GER, ENG subs, FRE)
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ResolutionHD
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Film byJanin Renner, Frauke Schlieckau, Janina Rook
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Produced by