Cultural Olympiad in the East Midlands: On Your Bike

Electric Pedals has been invited by the lovely people from Charity Shop DJ to get involved in a Cultural Olympiad project in the East Midlands called 'On Your Bike'.

This is a programme of three events at Derby's Big Screen during the Olympics and Paralympic Games. The themes of community empowerment and interdependence will be manifested in a direct, live and visual way by the use of bicycle-generated electricity to power aspects of the programme. The groups taking part in sport and cultural activities at the three events will provide the power for each others performances.

Electric Pedals has been asked to deliver a number of aspects of this project:

2nd june 2012: The project kicks off with a two-day workshop at the Derby Silk Mill. During the workshop (a collaboration with Sustrans), local people will be invited to build a bicycle powered cinema from the ground up! We'll be inviting people to get involved in building and testing bicycles generators and a mini power station over the two days. The finished bicycle powered cinema will be owned by the project and used for related arts activities in Derby Market Place from 18th-25th August 2012.

The timing of the workshops could not be better as the Derby Silk Mill will be hosting the Derby Mini Maker Faire 2012 on the same weekend! So Electric Pedals will have an opportunity to mix with the midland's finest tinkerers, inventors and all round hackers!

We finish off on Sunday night with a bicycle powered party organised by the splendid Charity Job DJ using all the equipment that is built during the workshop.

Sept 9th 2012: An event to be held in Derby Market Place will mark the closing ceremony of the Paralympic games. This event will be powered by the bicycle generation system built earlier in the year along with an additional 20–50 bike system managed by Electric Pedals.