Moscow was mad crazy. The business end of the stick was lecturing at the conference in conjunction with the Dreams on Wheels Exhibition and the Instants of Architecture, followed by a meeting with the Moscow Duma, or City Council. It was all part of Danish Day at ARCH Moscow ’09, Central House of Artists.
I lectured about Marketing the Bicycle to the Sub-Conscious Environmentalists, with emphasis on the necessity of selling cycling as sexy, cool and something with status. Making it a 'hero brand'.
After that, it was Cycle Chic Party Time. At a cool little gallery 'Mel', a cycle chic bash was arranged by the Royal Danish Embassy, Theory & Practice and streetstyle site Lookatme.ru. We met up and went for a bike ride with a hundred or so Muscovites on their bikes. Crazy cool.
Then there was a party. It... um... kind of lasted 48 hours, but what the hell. Moscow knows how to party.
It's a tough job being the Daddy of the Cycle Chic Movement, but hey... somebody has to do it.
Thanks to the Moscow DJ Poko Cox for his track which I used in the music video.
After having lectured about marketing cycling, I was presented with this poster for a local bike rental company. Totally 80's kitsch, on purpose of course. Making cycling look cool, funky and sexy. Well done.
It was brilliant to see how everyone was so geared for the conference and the party. There is really a need for the bicycle in Moscow. The number of cars in the city has exploded over the past 15 years. It was my fourth visit to the city and I lived there for a month or so back in 1990. It's a different world now. The city is choking on automobile culture. Fortunately there are many people who are working to turn the tide.
At the party I met Peter who announced that he would start Moscow Cycle Chic. He did so the very next day. So welcome to the family, Moscow!
Thanks to Richard and Galina at the Royal Danish Embassy, Askar & Valentina and the others from Theory & Practice and the good people at Lookatme.ru. Not to mention all the cool Muscovites I met along the way.
I shall return.
9 comments:
So, when do You visit Łódź? ;)
When we will see title:
Copenhagen Cycle Chic goes to Łódź (Poland)?
I want to go to Moscow!
So, who's the redhead?
Couldn't figure how to comment on the russian site but I wanted to say cool video! Keep up the good work! We look forward to seeing more. Amazing how this movement is expanding!
Wow, that's really tough, having to party for 48 hours. Didn't know that was in the job description when you took this position, did you? My condolences, dude. Val
wow, love that first pic especially!!! Is it true there's lots of redheads in Russia? I ask as a fellow redhead :)
Loved the video, but got curious about the "Marketing Bicycle 2.0" presentation. Is it available anywhere online?
It's available in my head... :-) I'm travelling with it at the moment but I'll get it written out one of these days.
was the only cycle commuter in moscow along that very same route.
http://baldwinchris1.blogspot.com/2008/07/antonio-loves-desert.html
http://baldwinchris1.blogspot.com/2008/10/moskva.html
http://baldwinchris1.blogspot.com/2008/10/chocolate-factory.html
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