About the workshops: The BICAS Instrument Workshops will begin on Sunday’s from April 30th to May 28th with a concert that will be open to the public. The $20 fee covers all four workshops, materials, instruction, and a complimentary recording of the final performance.
The workshops look at the history of repurposed object instrumentation, design, fabrication, and performance application in a group setting. In addition to building cycle-centric instruments they can play and keep, students at the workshop will also receive materials and do-it-yourself (DIY) instructions for building simple amplifiers, microphones and pickups.
Educators include Casey Wollschlaeger – BICAS art and outreach coordinator, educator, and bicycle advocate. Glenn Weyant – Sound sculptor, educator, composer and builder of original instruments including The Electric Ferris Box and Kestrel 920.
“Bikes and bike culture is about much more than just transportation. They are about creating community, developing self-reliance, healthy lifestyle choices, environmental stewardship, and having fun,” said BICAS Art Coordinator Casey Wollschlaeger. “BICAS has been building a reputation for creating cycle influenced art for some time. Now for the first time in Tucson, BICAS, is offering workshops which will allow the community to explore the musical properties of bicycles and other re-purposed objects and materials.”
“As children I think we all innately knew about the sound properties of our bikes. We attached playing cards to spokes or tapped out rhythms on the frame and handlebars,” said Glenn Weyant, a founding member of Bike-A-Stra and inventor of The Electric Ferris Box. “These workshops will reconnect participant with that sense of imagination and exploration while building functional instruments they can play in an orchestral setting mixing both composition and improvisation.”