Artist Statement

When I first moved to Seattle I was astonished by the number of rideshare bikes flooding the corners of the streets. At first, I thought that these bikes and scooters were a great way to get around town and lessen the impacts of climate change. However, I began to question the companies that own the bikes after seeing many bikes and scooters that are scrappy, abused, unloved and beaten down. 

There is a tension between concerns for environmentally sustainable transportation - represented by these bikes and scooters - and the visual litter they produce as they accumulate throughout our city streets. Additionally, at the cost of roughly $6.60 per 1.4 miles (15 minutes), these rideshares are not exactly cheap. There are also safety concerns, especially in cities that haven’t developed extensive bike lanes.

This project examines the changing urban environment in reflection of our search for affordable and sustainable carbon-free modes of transportation. Perhaps these rideshare bikes and scooters are indicative of the challenges we face (in a capitalistic economy). On the one hand, they are fun and well-suited for short trips around town. On the other hand, the number of trashed bikes and scooters demonstrates that, as a society, we are still enormously wasteful and careless in regards to our shared resources.