Pedal powered sculpture project awarded funding

IMAGINE throwing a bunch of bike parts into a blender with a healthy dose of youthful enthusiasm.

Add the skills of a steel-fabricator poet and rideable sculptural oddities known as Frankenbikes are the result.

The Frankenbike project, to be developed by Clunes based theatre company Asking For Trouble, got cranking recently thanks to a $15,000 Regional Arts Fund Community Grant from Regional Arts Australia.

Luke O’Connor and Christy Flaws, co-founders of Asking for Trouble, will partner with Clunes sculptor Bob McKinnon, steel-fabricator poet Tom Ripon and a bunch of the town’s teenagers to work on the artistic venture.

Ms Flaws said Clunes has a history of bikes and bike projects.

“There is a crew of keen unicycle riders as well as a group of young men who were involved in the local bike shed with Tom Ripon as a facilitator,” she said.

“This project allows us to curate a scenario where young men are celebrated within the community for their skills and creativity.

“We are taking their interests and stretching the possibilities in innovative and playful ways.”

The reimagined moveable sculptures, unique but still safely rideable, will participate in ongoing community celebrations showcasing the creative potential of Clunes’ youth.

Federal Member for Ballarat, Catherine King welcomed the grant and the impact it will have on the Clunes community.

“Local teenagers will be able to see their dreams and ideas turned into reality as artists from their own community work with them to create bikes that are rideable but bizarre,” Ms King said. “Clunes, like many of our regional communities, has a thriving arts community.

“It is wonderful to see that this project will reach beyond those normally involved in the arts, bringing the joy of creation to those who may otherwise never participate.”