''People's Bike Library of Portland'', also known as ''Zoobomb Pyle'' or simply "the pile", is a 2009 steel and

gold leaf Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades. The most commonly used gold is 22-kara ...

sculpture by local artists Brian Borrello and

Vanessa Renwick Vanessa Renwick (born 1961) is an American artist and filmmaker living in Portland, Oregon. Since 1981, she has been working in experimental and documentary forms—writing, producing films, videos, photography, sculpture and installations. In 1996 ...

, located in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, in the United States. It was erected in collaboration with the

Zoobomb Zoobomb is a weekly bicycling activity in Portland, Oregon, United States during which participants ride bicycles rapidly downhill in the city's West Hills. Zoobomb began in 2002. Participants carry their bikes on MAX Light Rail to the Washi ...

bicycling collective, and serves as a

bicycle parking rack A bicycle parking rack, usually shortened to bike rack and also called a bicycle stand, is a device to which bicycles can be securely attached for parking purposes. A bike rack may be free standing or it may be securely attached to the ground o ...

, a "lending library" for weekly bike riders, and a monument to the city's bike culture. The sculpture features a two-story spiral pillar with a gold-plated small bicycle on top; bicycles intended for Zoobomb riders are locked to the pillar and base, which has metal loops serving as hooks. The sculpture is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection, courtesy of the

Regional Arts & Culture Council The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is an organization that administers arts grants in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties that also do advocacy in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It evolved from the city� ...

, which commissioned the work with funds from the Portland Department of Transportation. The collaboration between the two groups was occasioned by the "Art on the Streets" program set up by

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Sam Adams Samuel Adams ( – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and ...

Background

In the early 2000s, "fun-seeking mini-bike lovers" began gathering for weekly bicycle rides down a hill, starting near the

Oregon Zoo The Oregon Zoo, originally the Portland Zoo and later the Washington Park Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington Park, Portland, Oregon, approximately southwest of downtown Portland. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi Ri ...

. The event acquired the name

from the barely-controlled rapid downhill ride, known to cyclists as "bombing", in close proximity to the zoo. The association of the group with the word "bombing" once led to an investigation by the Portland Bureau of Police, who feared that the group was composed of domestic terrorists. Prior to the sculpture's installation, bikes were stored at the "Holy Rack", or "Zoobomb pile", located at Southwest 10th Avenue and Oak Street. People's Bike Library of Portland existed by 2006 as an informal

bicycle-sharing system A bicycle-sharing system, bike share program, public bicycle scheme, or public bike share (PBS) scheme, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals at low cost. The programmes themselves include bot ...

– what the operators called a bicycle "library" – open to those who purchased a $5 identification card from a custodian called "Handsome Dave". BikePortland.org worked with the city to secure $10,000 from the Portland Department of Transportation, in order to create a city-recognized

and artwork out of the library "pyle".

Description

''People's Bike Library of Portland'' is a steel and gold leaf sculpture designed by local artists Brian Borrello and

. It was installed in a

traffic island A traffic island is a solid or painted object in a road that channels traffic. It can also be a narrow strip of island between roads that intersect at an acute angle. If the island uses road markings only, without raised curbs or other physical ...

at the intersection of West

Burnside Street Burnside Street is a major thoroughfare of Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon, and one of a few east–west streets that runs uninterrupted on both sides of the Willamette River. It serves as the dividing line between North Portland and South ...

and Southwest 13th Avenue in

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found. ...

in 2009. Erected in collaboration with Zoobomb, the sculpture is multi-purpose, serving as a functional rack, a bike "lending library", and a monument to Portland's bike culture. It is tall on a base and features a two-story spiral-shaped pillar, topped with a

gold-plated Gold plating is a method of depositing a thin layer of gold onto the surface of another metal, most often copper or silver (to make silver-gilt), by chemical or electrochemical plating. This article covers plating methods used in the modern ele ...

small bicycle, which Renwick has referred to as the "cherry on top!" A collection of children's bikes, intended for use by riders at weekly Zoobomb meetings, are locked to the sculpture. The base includes metal loops which act as hooks for the bicycles. The work is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the

, which commissioned the project for $10,000 with funds from the Portland Department of Transportation.

helped bring the sculpture to fruition through his new program known as "Art on the Streets", a collaborative effort by the Bureau of Transportation and the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Unveiling

On May 29, 2009, Adams and other community leaders hosted an event to commemorate the sculpture. The participants, who included a variety of cycling enthusiasts and current and former Zoobombers, gathered at the former "Holy Rack" before parading to the sculpture. The parade had been promoted by the

Bicycle Transportation Alliance The Street Trust (formerly the Bicycle Transportation Alliance) is a 501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section ...

and

City Repair Project The City Repair Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon. Its focus is education and activism for community building. The organizational motto is "The City Repair Project is group of citizen activists creating pub ...

, and featured small and

tall bike A tall bike is an unusually tall bicycle often constructed by hobbyists from spare parts. Typically, two conventional bicycle frames are connected, by welding, brazing, or other means, one atop the other. The drive train is reconfigured to connec ...

chopper bicycle A chopper bicycle is a highly customized bicycle whose design, construction and style is similar to that of a chopper-style motorcycle. About While the term "chopper" is generally used to describe a motorcycle or bicycle that has had some of i ...

s, and a homemade '' bakfiets''. At the ceremony, long-time Zoobomber Shannon Palermo introduced the Regional Arts & Culture Council's public art manager, who spoke about the work. "Handsome Dave" thanked those who made both Zoobomb and the sculpture possible, then introduced Adams, who cut the ribbon after a countdown and spoke about the work's origins. He said: Following Adams' speech, attendees created the first pile of small bicycles. One participant, who was one of the first women of Zoobomb, said about the creation of the first new pile: "I pushed through the crowd and handed it forth, bowing in honor of the golden b(eye)cycle winking in the sun. As I retreated to the crowd, my whole body was shaking. My hands were in disbelief. I paced in a circle and half-sigh/half-laughed and this darn smile was holding me so tight, I felt like the kiln was burning it into my clay, smile-shaped cheeks forever." A long chain was wrapped through each of the nearly twenty bicycles, which were locked to the sculpture by Adams. Event attendees then posed for a group picture, and sang a song called "16" Rims", a parody of

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

's " Mercedez Benz". The commemoration ended with "dancing in the streets" and music by The Sprockettes.

Reception

Jonathan Maus of BikePortland.org described the sculpture as a "functional work of public art that will serve not just as a place to store Zoobomb bikes and equipment, but as a visual testimony to what makes Portland, Portland", and called the day of its installation one that "will live forever in Portland's bike-cultural history". Furthermore, he said the work recognizes Zoobomb as a tradition, a "civic and cultural institution with deep connections" to the city. In his coverage of the dedication ceremony, Maus wrote: "It's important to remember that this is not just for Zoobomb. It's for all of us. It's from a City that encourages and recognizes the power of creative expression and activism embodied not just in a physical monument, but in the spirit of every Portlander." In ''

Frommer's Frommer's is a travel guide book series created by Arthur Frommer in 1957. Frommer's has since expanded to include more than 350 guidebooks in 14 series, as well as other media including an eponymous radio show and a website. In 2017, the company ...

: Portland Day by Day'', author Julian Smith called the sculpture a "pile on a pole" and included it in a list of "offbeat" city attractions. Other general Portland guidebooks like

Falcon Guides Globe Pequot is a book publisher and distributor of outdoor recreation and leisure titles that publishes 500 new titles. Globe Pequot was acquired by Morris Communications in 1997. Lyons Press was acquired in 2001. It was sold to Rowman & Littlef ...

and Moon Guides hail the sculpture as a city attraction, as do bicycling-specific guides.

References

External links