by Larry Lagarde

A Brief Interview With Michel de Broin (Creator of the Bike Driven Buick)

Yesterday, while writing my post about the full size Buick LeSabre pedal car, I contacted Michel de Broin for more information. He's in Europe at the moment so here are his replies (which I just received this morning).

RTB: Presently, where can your Buick LeSabre pedal driven art car be seen?
Michel: It is now in Toronto in storage at the Mercer Union Centre for Contemporary Art. It was on display but the exhibit has ended. Call Dave at Mercer Union, he is in charge of the gallery and will answer any questions.

MERCER UNION A Centre For Contemporary Art
37 Lisgar Street
Toronto Ontario M6J 3T3 (Canada)
Hours: 11am - 6pm, Tuesday - Saturday (Closed Sunday & Monday)
Tel 416-536-1519
Fax 416-536-2955
Web: MercerUnion.org

RTB: Is anyone going to reproduce the 4 person interconnected bicycle drivetrain that you created for the Buick LeSabre in other art or human powered projects?
Michel: I don't know. A rough cut of video had been seen by over 200,000 people on YouTube and has also been played on many TV programs. I hope after seing this people start pedaling their cars.

RTB: What was the law that police claim the driver broke when driving the Buick in Toronto?
Michel: The police said "operating an unsafe vehicle;" they demanded that the car be towed back to the gallery. A trial has been set for the third of April, at 3pm in Toronto. No fine has been levied yet.

Besides the YouTube video of the Buick being pedaled on the streets of Toronto, Michel has a video on his site of the Buick LeSabre being pedaled/driven through bumper to bumper traffic in New York City. Watch the surprised looks of pedestrians near the car.

From climate change to pollution and war, burning oil for transportation holds profound consequences for humanity. My thanks to Michel for making people think.

Labels: pedal-car