Zoe Buonaiuto is bringing her flashy tricycle to a museum for reasons of both safety and style.
According to the third-year French and history student, her friends gave her the tricycle to tease her for her clumsiness.
“I can barely walk up Bruin Walk without tripping a few times, let alone operate a bicycle safely on city streets,” Buonaiuto said.
This Thursday night, Buonaiuto will be rolling in to the Hammer Museum’s third annual Bike Night, an event that celebrates art, community and bicycling in Los Angeles. Visitors can enjoy free vegan snacks, live music, a cash bar, viewings of short bike films, free bike portraits, night-time gallery strolling and a screening of the 1986 BMX film “Rad.”
Unusual or eye-catching bikes may be handpicked by museum staff to be featured on display throughout the night, while others will have the chance to strut down a “bicycle runway” and show off their wheels.
Buonaiuto’s slightly alternative mode of transport might turn heads; after all, it is black with glittery gold dots and silver pom-poms on the handlebars.
“I’m much too big for this trike, so I’ll look obnoxious, but whatever,” Buonaiuto said.
According to Liza Kiraz, a fourth-year art history student and Hammer Student Association events committee head, these new additions are part of an attempt to bring more attention to individuals and their bikes, whereas last year all bikes were chained in racks and hidden in the corridors.
Those lacking wheels need not shy away from ““ out of the 1,500 people who attended last year, fewer than one-third brought bikes, Kiraz noted.
“In fact, the people who have the most fun are those who do not cycle often,” Kiraz said. “The spectator turns into the participant ““ there is something for everyone.”
While the event is about fun and bike-centric socializing, it also offers attendees the chance to think about the ethos of bicycling in the city. The event was started in 2009 by artist and cyclist Lisa Anne Auerbach, who had just been part of the Hammer’s Nine Lives exhibit of L.A.-based artists.
Having ridden bicycles from childhood, Auerbach noted that she became a more dedicated rider in 2003 when she began commuting around the city regularly on her bike.
“There’s so much to gain from riding in Los Angeles,” Auerbach said. “It’s really different, having your own agency within the city. You have this power of moving across town by your own volition, which is empowering and awesome.”
Bike Night will have a booth sponsored by the Los Angeles Police Department sharing tips about bicycle safety for visitors who are curious about learning to ride in urban streets.
“There’s a whole city around UCLA that is super accessible by bike,” Auerbach said. “Riding gives you the choice of not being trapped in Westwood.”
Both Kiraz and Auerbach said the screening of “Rad” will likely be a big hit on a few different levels ““ it will be projected in the original 35 mm format film buffs would appreciate, it boasts cult status and it could translate to a whole different vibe from last year’s event.
Though Auerbach described Bike Night as usually drawing “a fixie crowd,” (those who ride bikes that cannot coast) she said there’s a chance that BMX riders will come out this year, perhaps drawn by the film, to show that the BMX scene in Los Angeles is alive and well.
“I want people to realize that the Hammer is totally friendly to a variety of people, not just art people,” Auerbach said. “The museum can function as a place for generating ideas and being part of a larger community, not just talking about art.”
Having been brought to last year’s Bike Night with a friend, Buonaiuto said she is looking forward to returning, obnoxious tricycle in tow.
“Bike Night is a great opportunity to mingle with free-spirited Angelenos, soak in some culture and see a side of the city that rarely gets the chance to come together,” Buonaiuto said.