Recycled bike parts steal the show at “The Bicycle Experience”

One of the installations by Johnnie Olivan at The 2012 Bicycle Experience show currently going on at the Gallery at Port City on N. Williams and Thompson.

North Portland based artist and bike maker Johnnie Olivan is at it again. Putting used bike parts to a higher purpose, he has filled the gallery at Port City Development (on the corner of N Williams and Thompson) with an imaginative installation of sculptures and scenes.

Olivan’s Rejuiced Bikes is known for taking old bike parts and turning them into utilitarian — yet fun to ride — bikes (read our September 2011 profile of him). He has also produced bike-inspired sculptures, trailers, and a new product that debuted at BikeCraft; a u-lock made out of two fork legs.

For this show at Port City, Olivan has once again brought bike parts “back from the dead” to create an immersive art experience that makes a statement while it makes you smile. I stopped by yesterday for a closer look…

“It’s sort of a meta,” explained a fellow artists helping Olivan at the space yesterday, “It’s bike culture created out of bike parts.”

Johnnie Olivan

Olivan says he loves taking “All of these parts that have been discarded or wasted,” and “Moving them, like puzzle piece, to an entirely different place.”

Olivan hopes the show raises people’s consciousness of the materials around us. He also wants to remind the community that his work relies on folks giving him their old used parts so he can make them into useful and beautiful things once again.

Stop by the Gallery at Port City through this month to see The 2012 Bicycle Experience: Prototypes, Visions and Dreams. The event is a benefit for Project Grow.

This Friday night (1/27) from 7:00 to 9:00 pm there’s a special reception party with live music and a performance by The Sprockettes. More info on Facebook.