Bicycloid IX 1994

Robert Rauschenberg made "Bicycloid IX" out of salvaged metal, neon and rubber tires. It's mounted on a pedestal and lit up like a carnival ride, but it's still just a bicycle. Rauschenberg was a material magpie, scavenging things from the world and then figuring out how to put them together. What was he thinking, I wonder? Maybe he was thinking about Duchamp's bicycle wheel, one of the first readymades. What happens when you take something out of everyday life and put it on display? The neon tubes that trace the form of the bike are like a drawing in light. The juxtaposition of neon against the old tires and rusty frame creates a strange mix of new and old, industrial and handmade. All of these gestures, all of these decisions contribute to how the sculpture communicates. He's inviting us to see the world around us with fresh eyes, to find beauty and poetry in the everyday.