12.11.2015

Adieu Vélo Vogue, Bonjour Velo Visionaries!

When I launched Vélo Vogue in 2008, I was incredibly inspired by the Cycle Chic movement. It was a brand new way of not only perceiving how a person chooses to get from point A to point B, but more importantly, it was a way to connect with kindred two-wheeled spirits all over the world, from Canada to Brazil, to England to South Africa and more. Vélo Vogue has opened many doors and showed me new paths, and for that, I am eternally grateful.

But now in 2015, our bike culture has evolved. We've entered into a new dialogue. We talk less about what we wear while we're biking, and more about a new world order, where our very existence on this planet is challenged by climate change, where capitalism has prioritized profit over people, and all other life forms become collateral damage. Where women and people of color still cannot feel safe in public places. We live in a world that is unacceptable.

The bicycle, as someone I know once said, is quite literally a vehicle of change. So it's up to us bike people to help create a new world. And by us, I mean YOU and ME. So here's what I'm doing.

Thanks to Vélo Vogue, I have been inspired by people worldwide whom I've met through our online global bicycle community. And since I'm a filmmaker, I decided the best way that I can contribute to the shift towards livable cities--and a livable planet--was to use film to tell the stories of the people I've met: exceptional individuals who made a choice to opt out of fossil fuels and opt in to pedal power.

So from here forward, my gift to you is Velo Visionaries.

Episode 1: Chris Carlsson is one of the original co-founders of San Francisco's Critical Mass. He also co-founded Shaping San Francisco, a participatory community history project documenting and archiving overlooked stories and memories of San Francisco. Chris is the author of three books, "Nowtopia," "Vanished Waters: A History of San Francisco's Mission Bay," and "After the Deluge."



Episode 2: Morgan Fitzgibbons is the co-founder the Wigg Party, [freespace], the Urban Eating League and the NOW! Festival. He is also an adjunct professor of Environmental Studies at the University of San Francisco and he holds a Masters degree in Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness from the California Institute of Integral Studies.



Through this ongoing series, you can perceive the world through the eyes of some very inspirational people through a fresh, new lens, and ride along with them on their favorite paths in San Francisco and beyond.

I won't be posting on the blog anymore, but if you want to continue to follow my work, please subscribe to the Velo Visionaries Vimeo Channel or YouTube Channel.

You can also still find me in the same old place on Facebook and Twitter where I post about issues concerning bike culture.

So that's what I am doing to change the world for the better. What about YOU?

Be inspired. Be the change. Ride on.

3 comments:

lagatta à montréal said...

I'm glad to see this evolution. I appreciated Cycle Chic as a reaction to the obsession with "kit" and a certain macho mindset among a cycling subculture, but it too has evolved and spun off Copenhagenize and all the -ize urbanism blogs. It is wonderful to see people of all backgrounds, ethnicities and ages cycling ... not necessarily "chic", but in normal clothing and better still to tackle the essential issues of getting away from petroleum and carcentric development.

Kristin Tieche said...

Thanks for your comment! Yeah, I just couldn't keep writing about fashion when people are still dying in our streets, and especially here in SF, where I see more cars on the streets than ever before. The conversation is bigger, and I have to be part of it! I don't think the San Francisco is a model yet, and doesn't deserve an "-ize" blog yet. We have a long way to go. What we do have, are some very, very inspiring individuals who keep pushing the conversation, and our awareness, forward toward resilient, sustainable cities.

MELI said...

i love you and forever will velovogue, and more for the friendship. thank you kt =] and looking forward to you and your blossoming visions, always. paz y love -MELI