First look at the new Zoobomb ‘Pyle’

The official unveiling happens tomorrow, but I just came across the first photo of the new Zoobomb Pyle as it stands right now, fully installed, at the corner of 13th and W. Burnside.

Behold…

Artists Brian Borrello (L) and Vanessa Renwick (R) stand beside their work — Portland’s latest public art monument.
(Photo: Kristin Calhoun/Regional Arts and Culture Council)

Story continues below

advertisement

Yes, that is a gold mini-bike.

I am so proud.

This is something you’ve got to see in person… especially once it becomes complete with the adornment of a pile of mini-bikes. Details on tomorrow’s official unveiling can be found here. (Animal costumes encouraged).

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

Thanks for reading.

BikePortland has served this community with independent community journalism since 2005. We rely on subscriptions from readers like you to survive. Your financial support is vital in keeping this valuable resource alive and well.

Please subscribe today to strengthen and expand our work.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

53 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Todd Boulanger
15 years ago

Wow!! Good show artists!

(Does the tail light blink red?)

amos
15 years ago

freakin’ awesome!

Serviceburo
15 years ago

Wow. I’m actually proud to live in this town at this moment. *Not Sarcasm*

tbird
tbird
15 years ago

Nice work of “art”
I have to ask: What’s the deal with the “pyle” Why stack bikes in a heap? I’ve never understood this.

patrickz
patrickz
15 years ago

…the way this city makes me feel at home…I could sing!

Snowflake Seven
Snowflake Seven
15 years ago

I heart Portland.

Eliza
15 years ago

This is so …monumental! hahaha!
I can’t wait to see it in person tomorrow.
Can’t believe that fateful night seven years ago would lead to this! yaya!

brewcaster
15 years ago

solitary tear slowly running down my cheek.

RyNO Dan
RyNO Dan
15 years ago

ZOO !!!

John Lascurettes
15 years ago

Mazel tav!

Chris Sullivan
Chris Sullivan
15 years ago

Cool design, Brian.

t-b0ne
t-b0ne
15 years ago

oh… *sniffle* it’s beautiful!

Scott Mizée
15 years ago

very cool. nice job guys.

Dutch
Dutch
15 years ago

BOMB!

Alexis
Alexis
15 years ago

Wow way to spoil the surprise

a
a
15 years ago

honestly? pretty unremarkable, IMO
meh!

wsbob
wsbob
15 years ago

People are going to want to climb that pole and touch the gold minibike with their hand. Is this Portland’s counterpart to Ireland’s Blarney Stone? Seriously, the thing looks fine…graceful. I’ll be interested to see the different forms created when masses of bikes are mounted to it.

Racer X
Racer X
15 years ago

I guess they should have put a little red hood over it before the unveiling?

Racer X
Racer X
15 years ago

And perhaps there is a little surprise too – a mini MAX train underneath?

pedalstrikeforceagentdown

That is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time.

jrdpdx
jrdpdx
15 years ago

Wow, can’t wait to see it. It will be on the list of places to take out of towners. This is Portland!

Marion Rice
Marion Rice
15 years ago

That makes my heart sing

Dog-Eye
Dog-Eye
15 years ago

Well Done Guys! It looks great! Personally i am not a fan of gold, but that “cherry on top” looks amazing.

sh
sh
15 years ago

The gold mini-bike at the top = brilliant!

People, we live in a city that builds monuments to Zoobomb.

We live in a city the birthed Zoobomb.

!!!!

Amazing.

efglez
efglez
15 years ago

I am lost for words!

Congratulations on being able to get $10,000 on that art project with this economy!

brilliant

Doorman Dave R.P.B.C.
15 years ago

Congrats ZooBomb. Done Better. Making Chicago more jealous every day.

efglez
efglez
15 years ago

Is going to look great with bikes on it

Ashley
15 years ago

Damn. That is totally HOT. Fer realz.

steve
steve
15 years ago

Much better than I expected. I actually like it.

Anyone know the over/under on how long before someone climbs up and breaks the gold bike off?

tino
tino
15 years ago

Totally awesome. I wanna touch it …

Pj
Pj
15 years ago

Soon as rent’s due.

girl-shawn
15 years ago

#18:

there were plans to sheath the pretty gold cherry-on-top, but a scant week before the unveiling, we found out that the gold leaf needed a month or two to cure, so the sheath would’ve needed to’ve been put in place without touching the cherry at all. Our design options for the sheath at that point would’ve taken too long to enact. Boo!

Still, this sculpture is so exciting, and the fact that it isn’t sheathed shouldn’t keep you from attending the opening ceremonies today:

4:00pm – Meet at the Holy Rack (10th and SW Oak)
5:00pm – Parade to New Pyle at 13th and W. Burnside

Pyle piling, speeches, Sprockettes, and more!

Kt
Kt
15 years ago

That is very cool. Quite beautiful, too!

minister
minister
15 years ago

I like the statue but would’ve appreciated a diy effort without taxpayer money. That truly would’ve been zoobomb.

Dave
Dave
15 years ago

Quite accidentally drove by it last night – it is an awesome site to behold, and it makes me proud to be a portlander.

Carl
Carl
15 years ago

…and get a sneak peek at the sweet helmets Nutcase donated to us. They’ll be housed in “the chamber” and lent to our guests. Thanks Nutcase!

tr
tr
15 years ago

happy zoobomb day!

Zaphod
15 years ago

Seriously awesome

Vance Longwell
15 years ago

About time. Grats bombers and it looks really nice.

justa
justa
15 years ago

stoked to see everyone keepin’ it positive

way to go bikeportland readers!

whee!!

Dissent
Dissent
15 years ago

I think Portland’s strong bicycling culture and reputation are great. I think the creativity within the culture is great too.

That said, the whole zoo bomb thing is pretty dumb in my opinion. No disrespect to those who get off on it, but I just think getting lit and antagonizing TriMet and a bunch of the neighbors as a means of enjoying yourself is pretty childish and stupid. I guess I’m the buzzkill, but irritating others – even indirectly – is not my idea of a good time. Sorry.

Probably not a big surprise that I think the sculpture is pretty dumb too. Zoo bomb will probably go the way of the dinosaur in due course. We’ll be wondering what this sculpture was for. It’s not like it’s such a compelling piece that it contributes all by itself. I’d rather the $10,000 go elsewhere. How about that proposed bike boulevard on Going? Or, if art’s the thing, I dig those cool artsy bike parking racks around town.

And just for the record, I’m not a Republican, I like wacky Portland, I think Last Thursday is a much cooler event than say… First Thursday, etc. I’m basically your garden-variety liberal Portlander.

But this thing… really? Not hating, but I’m just saying the whole zoo bomb thing isn’t that cool to me. I’m clearly in the minority here, and that’s fine.

If people want to educate me on how zoo bomb positively contributes to a sustained effort to make Portland more bike-friendly I welcome it. I don’t get it.

kernal loose nut
kernal loose nut
15 years ago

Dissent, have you ever zoobombed? If not you won’t get it.

But i’ll try anyway . . . Zoobombers are some the most respectful, self-responsible partiers in this town. Zoobombing is super fun, especially on a mini. It’s about having a good time, riding fast, gettin a little crazy. It’s about community, and the Zoobomb community is ROCKSOLID. It’s a tight club and it’s open to new members, even you.

We don’t antagonize TriMet or their riders. Most of the engineers and passangers dig us.

“Zoo bomb will probably go the way of the dinosaur in due course.” My friend you are dinosaur-dead wrong here. What part of EVERY Sunday for seven years without fail do you not understand?

i challange you to educate yourself. Come on out some sunday eve this summer. If it’s not for you, fine. But don’t dis what you do not know.

Dissent
Dissent
15 years ago

Nope, I haven’t done it so thanks for asking. Agreed that the most informed perspective comes from personal experience.

There have been clashes with neighbors and TriMet so that needs to be acknowledged. It may be a “one bad apple” situation, as is usually the case in these situations. But those incidents are out there.

Seven years running is indeed a long time. Not exactly statue worthy from my view, but cool.

I’d rather see a statue in commemoration of the regular everyday folks who were killed by cars. To me those folks are martyrs at some level. Not to be antagonistic against those who drive cars, but going about your daily business on bike is honorable. How about a ghost bike statue? Now that would bring tears to my eyes.

wsbob
wsbob
15 years ago

I think that, shall I say…the beauty… of the choice to make the “..cherry..” atop the pole a mini-bike, is that even if the zbomb ever goes by the wayside, kids, upon seeing the cherry will continue to be inspired by it to want to bike. That’s transferable energy. Kids will look up there and immediately recognize that it’s almost exactly like their own bike at home.

kernal loosie
15 years ago

“I’d rather see a statue in commemoration of the regular everyday folks who were killed by cars. To me those folks are martyrs”

i agree 100% . . .
and am working on deadlined project of this exact nature. Would you like to help?

i need images of Matthew Shekel, Michael Tibbins, Kerin Holtz and any one else killed before them on their bike all the way up to Damien’s dad. It’s not limited to Portland accidents, those are just the one’s i know about.

i’ll take help from anyone out there with this image collection process. Please send to biketemple@gmail.com
include dates and any other helpful info.

Dissent,
zoobomb is also about bikes and their liberating power, i forgot to mention that but i am sure you got that part of it.
See you on the hill or in email-land.

Barney
Barney
15 years ago

@ Dissent

If you want money to go to a specific cause, work for it. Your monument idea sounds great. Seems like Kernal Loosie can connect you with that cause.

It bums me out, though, for a pro-bike group to get some money and then someone immediately comes out and says, “The money should have gone to pro-bike Project X,” as if money only gets awarded to pro-bike stuff once a century and “we really screwed it up by celebrating pro-bike Project Y instead of pro-bike Project X.” Sure, everyone has their idea of the best way to spend tax dollars. But can’t we all celebrate the fact that money has been put toward pro-bike public art, regardless of how specifically it reflects your personal biking lifestyle?

EndlessSummer
EndlessSummer
15 years ago

Vanessa Renwick is still in town? Cool. Damn, she’s still hot.

KS
KS
15 years ago

Who did the beautiful gilding work? Maybe I missed the credit, but if not could someone please provide it?

Vanessa Renwick
15 years ago

The gilding was done by myself,my daughter Montana Maurice, Elin and Nancy Thorn at Gold Leaf Restoration in SE Portland.Some pictures of the leafing here:
http://www.odoka.org/the_work/zoobomb_pyle/
Nancy owns Gold Leaf Restoration and is an avid cyclist, commuting from Vancouver to SE Portland daily. When I called her for leafing advice she enthusiastically gave me the low down, and then generously offered for me to bring the bike in do the leafing there with her assistant Elin and herself.
I can not say enough good things about the woman. Need something leafed…go there!