Institution Incentivizes Indecency
(Okay, maybe the subtitle is a little hysterical but I’m a sucker for alliteration.)
Portland has this slogan “Keep Portland Weird” (which they stole from Austin, how lame is that?) And as part of their celebration of weirdness, they have the annual Naked Bike Ride. There is a World Naked Bike Ride, but Portland claims to have the largest, maybe 5,000 riders.
(At the end of this post, I’ve have links to photos and videos of the Portland ride.)
But this year it gets a little weirder, with the help of a venerable Portland institution.
In June, the Portland Art Museum is presenting an exhibit named “Cyclepedia“, which showcase “pivotal moments in the evolution of bicycle design.” In fact, the day of the Naked Bike Ride coincides with the opening day of the exhibit.
“We’re delighted that a large group of enthusiastic cyclists will be gathering essentially in what is our front yard,” says museum spokeswoman Beth Heinrich.
So to get in the spirit of the event, the museum is offering a special deal to see their new exhibit. On June 8th from 8-10 p.m. the price of admission is $1 per article of clothing.
You accountants, economists and coupon savers out there will immediately figure out, “Hey, you could get in for free, but that would mean… no, they wouldn’t…”
Maybe not in your town, but in Portland, yeah they would.
On June 8th, there will be hundreds of nude art lovers in the museum, who either appreciate bicycle design or a good deal, or both.
So nudity in Portland has gone from indifference, to tolerance, to endorsement and encouragement. That’s pretty weird.
Brooklyn, Austin? The ball’s in your court. Whaddya got?
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Here’s a nicely done video, with interviews, and without showing the riders’ dangly bits so it’s PMSFW (pretty-much-safe-for-work.) Extra bonus – they managed to capture on film a real live person of color, who are exceedingly rare in Portland.
Here’s a video that is definitely NSFW.
http://vimeo.com/44277801
And a gallery of photos from BikePortland.org, also NSFW.
http://flickeflu.com/set/72157626870465583
<3 <3 <3 this, Brian. I work a half block from here, and wish I would have seen it all must have been out too early or late. oh well. Your vids are getting btteer and btteer.
LOL! All I can think of is how extremely uncomfortable it must be to “bike in the buff” with “dangly bits” in the way!