Filming Myself in the Snow from Quarter Productions on Vimeo.
The mastermind behind Quarter Productions was out filming himself on his BMX bike during the snowfall today. A few short hours later, a brand new video appears.
You can find him at: iloveqp.com
Walking toward the shop from our ritualistic AM stop at Sherman Cafe with coffees in hand and laughing in the late morning light, we spotted a distinguished-looking gentleman wheeling what was obviously a classy track bike down the train bridge. Waving the fellow down, we were introduced to Tim Dixon, bike-lover, furniture-builder, and Imron-sprayer extraordinaire. Hailing from California and the heyday of West Coast craft builders, Tim was dropping in to show us this extremely elegant Sam Cotten track bike and chat a bit about his new wet-paint operation in Boston.
Sam Cotten, he explained, was a friend of his who had a part time framebuilding operation in Hollywood, as well as being an actor and amateur philosopher. Tim cut some Cinelli lugs into delicate shapes and had Sam build him this frame, which Tim then painted. The result, with the perfectly-matched C-Record kit and Cinelli bar/stem combo, is about as classy as they come. Yes, that is an extremely rare semi-sloping Cinelli track fork crown. Yes, those are Record Crono tubular rims. No, we’re sorry, but you can’t ride it.
Tim is starting up his spray operation again here on the East Coast, and we’ll be offering his services through the shop. Please do drop in to gawk at his ‘90 Cotten and start dreaming up your new paint scheme.
It seems my earlier prognosis about rod brakes has come true. Yielding to the demands of the times, Open is clearing its stock of fixed gear bikes to make room for some shiny new (or rather, crusty, old) roadsters.
Well, maybe I exaggerate again; the fixed gears are staying. But the roadsters are coming too. If you attended Spoke Count, you are probably acquainted with the 1936 Raleigh Lady’s Tourist that hung suspended from the ceiling. And if that wasn’t enough, Open is collaborating with the newly formed Boston Retro Wheelmen to develop a programme of workshops aimed at vintage IGH bikes.
Why? Because vintage three speeds are good. Built like tanks, they withstand pretty much anything the city throws at you. They are easy to ride and easy to maintain. They love you and they want you to love them back. So if you live in the neighborhood and have an old, forlorn 3-speed that needs resuscitating, bring it to Open and it shall be cared for in the manner it deserves. Restored vintage 3-speeds are also occasionally available for sale.
[pictured above: Somervillain and Biking In Heels tend to their steeds during a Boston Retro Wheelmen meeting.]
Spoke Count is a Chorus Gallery-hosted collaborative installation featuring 100+ small works about bikes by various artists from the community. The show is open submission- that means you, dear reader! Your work can be on any type of media and in any genre or format- we only ask that there be some reference to bicycles in the piece and the finished work be 8″x8″ and able to be hung. It is estimated that there currently exist over one billion bicycles in the world- this show will attempt to visualize this (growing) mass of our favorite revolutionary transport.
Submissions are open to anyone- complete the form at the Chorus Gallery website to participate. Deadline for work is 5p January 7th- show reception is 7p, January 9th 2010.
It’s time again for the International Film Festival to roll through our fair city, and this year we’re putting out an open call for volunteers. Below is the Google form that we’re using to track volunteer interest and get folks signed up, pleae consider filling it out if you’d like to participate!
More info on BFF Boston:
The Volunteer form:
Boston-based ex-courier and painter Clark Filio is opening his new show, OATH, at Chorus Gallery on Saturday, November 14th. The reception commences at 7p and will feature the usual coterie of wonderful people, cold drinks, and smooth vinyl sounds from Coatti Mondi. Clark’s work evokes a broad exploration of the human spirit and the multiplicity of shapes it takes through our forms and bodies. Bring friends who love art, bring some coin to purchase his paintings and drawings, and join us to celebrate life and appreciate the wonder and complexity we swim in.
Jahn from Cambridge Street Press just dropped off some of the first issues of the Inman Review, a homegrown literary quarterly featuring Cambridge and Somerville writers and photographers. I’ve been speaking with him over the last few months as he and his partners have been gearing up for the inaugural release and I was thrilled to see him come through the door with a bag of copies for us. Literary magazines live and die by the quality of their content and an engaged readership, and after paging though Volume 1, I’m sure that we can look forward to many years of this fine collection of new and established works gracing the coffee tables and cafe lounges of the area. If you creatives out there have submissions for these fine folk, direct them to inmanreview@gmail.com, and be sure drop by Open to pick up your copy- the first run was only 250 so they will disappear quickly…
