the smart ebike design tour cycles through cologne

the smart ebike design tour cycles through cologne
photo by peter bender

following the success of its 2013 excursions to berlin, milan and london, the smart ebike design tour kicked off its 2014 program stopping first in cologne, hosted as part of the kölner liste – the german metropolis’s ‘discovery fair’ for contemporary art.

‘the new yorker DOCK.ONE’ venue where the smart ebike tour team set-up shop
photo by peter bender

from april 10th – 13th, the smart ebike design tour cologne camped out at the creative event’s main venue – the new yorker DOCK.ONE – where participants gathered to gear up and visit a selection art and design hotspots, while experiencing the city on a smart ebike along the way.

smart ebikes waiting to journey out into the streets of cologne
photo by peter bender

the electric two-wheeler combines advanced technology with clever features, resulting in a solution that makes urban mobility not only easier with its pedelec (pedel electric cycle) system – a small integrated motor that assists the user while pedaling, allowing them to conserve physical energy – but more stylish. the smart ebike provides a 250 watt electric motor that gives you the capability of reaching speeds of up to 25 km/h, while more momentum can be achieved via conventional pedaling. this means that it can also be used as a regular bicycle; or shift to the available drive or generator modes via a 3-speed gear hub from SRAM. 

the smart ebike combines technology with clever design – a positive answer to urban mobility
photo by peter bender

a brushless rear-wheel hub motor from BionX supports four levels in drive mode, giving the rider the freedom to determine how much support they desire while on the go; while four levels are also presented in the generator mode, which lets the cyclist decide to what extent they wish to recharge the battery (housed within the aluminum frame presenting a seamless appearance) while pedaling or riding downhill.

detail
photo by peter bender

cruising around, familiarizing themselves with the properties of the smart ebike, participants of the design tour cologne passed by a number of cultural hotspots the city has to offer including: artmx, carlsgarten, droom, die kunstagentin, DQE, gold + beton, MAKK and skulpturenpark. read about each of the venues and the exhibitions that were visited along the way on bettery magazine.

installations at the skulpturenpark
(left): anish kapoor, ‘untitled’, 1997, steel, highly burnished, permanent loan from the michael and eleonore stoffel stiftung
(right): joel shapiro, ‘untitled’, 1996/99, bronze, permanent loan society of friends of skulpturenpark, cologne
photo by peter bender

at cologne’s skulpturenpark, cyclists took in the outdoor sculpture park’s ‘kölnSkulptur #6’ exhibition taking a look at pieces by martin boyce, thomas klesewetter and thomas schütte; as well as the garden’s permanent installation that includes mammoth works by the likes of anish kapoor, joel shapiro and tobias rehberger.

smart ebike design tour cologne participants cycling through the city
photo by peter bender

installation view of the ‘NEO vol #1’ exhibition at the die kunstagentin
photo by peter bender

from the outdoors in, the journey headed to a couple of cologne’s major cultural institutions including the MAKK (museum of applied art) and die kunstagentin.

a tour of  ‘NEO vol #1’ at the die kunstagentin was experienced, allowing participants to get absorbed into the edgy practices of today’s key players in the global urban art scene. an offering of two-dimensional works by such young international creatives as swoon (USA), VHILS (PT), maya hyuk (US), tilt (FR), smash137 (CH) and stefan srumbel (DE) were on show, contrasting the more traditional three-dimensional works of skulpturenpark.

outside the die kunstagentin
photo by peter bender

smart ebike design tour participants taking in MAKK’s showcase of early modern art and design
photo by peter bender

a outing to take in cologne’s key cultural institutions is not complete without a visit to the MAKK. here, members went on a guided walk-through of the museum’s early modern art and design exhibition which provided a retrospective overview of creative production and the age of industrialization during the 19th century – from furniture pieces, to prints, to technological innovations.

rolf sachs’ ‘pflichtbewusstsein’, 2013 installed outside MAKK
photo by peter bender

still at the MAKK, but shifting gears, tour members had a glimpse at the solo show of designer / artist rolf sachs. his ‘typisch deutsch?’ exhibition (which runs until june 9th, 2014) which poses the question what is ‘typical german?’, explores german stereotypes in the form of products and installations.  see designboom’s exclusive coverage of rolf sachs’ ‘typisch deutsch?’ exhibition here.

droom
photo by peter bender

and for those who were looking for some stimulus and ideas to decorate their own interiors, a stop off at droom was an order. founded in 2010 by ann and katja karnstedt schüssler, the concept shop offers a catalogue of products that can be customized through a special production process so that clients can choose their own patterns and colors to fit their design styles.

lighting, fabrics and furniture at droom can be customized according to clients’ style
photo by peter bender

with cologne under its belt, the smart ebike tour is heading next to austria for the summer opening of museumsqartier vienna and spain for barcelona design week. if you’re in town, come out and join us!