design 21

design 21 is a social design network working in collaboration with unesco. now before you start thinking you've stumbled on some orwellian organization with plans for restructuring society as we know it, i should tell you that you are partly right and partly wrong. design 21's work is more to do with improving the surroundings in which we live and work through gently subversive, or proactive solutions to challenges or situations that cry out for improvement in some way, shape, or form.

their latest design competition is entitled "power to the pedal" and yes, it's about design for bikes. the designs that were submitted range from the incredible to the unusual and the full gamut in-between. to view the winners, the finalists and many of the more interesting entries then nip over here.

a favourite of mine, winner of third prize and also winner of the most popular prize is this clever and very lovely design from joseph kim and hwang jin wook of hong kong. titled "the sound from wind", the premise of their design is that a bike creates air movement that can be harnessed to create sound - music - if you shape it. "the sound from wind" project uses the same principles as a flute or ocarina and uses buttons on the handle in order to make various melodies within its ceramic body. kim and wook's premise is simple and elegant - "the road is a concert hall and the bicycle is an instrument of the orchestra".

another lovely and fun design comes from the folks at society creative llc whose "bloom" design uses the bike to drive a soap bubble machine that carries seeds willy-nilly all over and effectively doubles the bikes inherent "green" features by greening up whatever territory it passes over . . . . . . . yayyyyyyy!!!!! a lovely and thorough piece on the "bloom" proposal can be found over at inhabitat.