The Embacher-Collection®, established in 2003, includes over 210 standard production models, one-of-a-kind creations, and curiosities ranging from children’s bikes to athletic and leisure bikes, utility bikes and folding models. These masterpieces of design and engineering, which are normally housed in a Viennese attic and not accessible to the public, serve Michael Embacher both as sources of inspiration and as objects of daily use.
The rarities shown in the exhibition include one-of-a-kind models by the Moulton Bicycle Company as well as a Diagonale by French maker René Herse, the “Rolls Royce” of bicycle manufacturers, and also curiosities like the all-plastic bike Wilhelmina Plast by Sweden’s Itera and the all-wheel-drive Subaru 2WD Dual Power, developed by the Austrians Günter Kappacher and Paul Pollanka. High-performance bicycles that have written athletic history, such as the Textima Time Trial used by the national team of the former GDR, the Schauff Aero and the carbon-monocoque Bianchi C-4 Pista, are further highlights of this showing.
The rising cost of liquid fuels and the questionable nature of using cars for local trips are moving more and more city dwellers to switch to more environmentally conscious modes of transportation
Cycling makes for a better quality of life, asserts the musician, all-round artist, and bicycle activist David Byrne. In his book Bicycle Diaries, he describes the bicycle as a “machine of perception” that permits sensory experience and a direct relationship with one’s environment and with society. Byrne’s cycling experiences on concert tours in nine metropolises, including New York, Berlin, Istanbul, and Manila, accompany Tour Du Monde as a subtext of sorts, though the chapter on Vienna has yet to be written.
iPad stations featuring the award-winning app Cyclopedia, developed by Heuristic Media in collaboration with Thames & Hudson, will be available to complement the collection catalogue.
Tour du Monde. Bicycle Stories
until 6 october 2013
Mak Exhibition Hall
Weiskirchnerstraße 3,
Vienna
Klimahouse 2025: twenty years of sustainability
Now in its 20th edition, the international trade fair dedicated to responsible construction, energy efficiency and building renovation will be held in Bolzano from 29 January to 1 February.