METAL MACHINE MISCHIEF/how to make noise music with bicycles by bani haykal

"Riding bikes ain’t s#!+ without climate justice, without land back, without liberation of everybody"

Christina Torres, Cyclista Zine

The bicycle is more than just a means of transportation. In our increasingly car-centric and carbon-heavy lifestyles, cycling is a climate action that slows down the rate at which our planet is burning. Inspiring stories from Gaza have shown us how bicycles can be radically repurposed into washing machines, sewing machines, and even power generators.

In the first part of the workshop, participants will be offered a set of unused bicycle components and they will be guided to devise and conceptualise new musical or sonic instruments with them. In the second part, these unorthodox instruments will be played in a group jam session!

Participants are encouraged to bring personal items such as mallets, drumsticks, clarinet mouthpieces, and/or any musical bobs and bits they can incorporate into the instruments.

This workshop is part of the Empirical Workshop Series of Communities of Practice. Techno Diversions.

No prior knowledge or experience is required.

Limited slots only! Register here.

This workshop is free for all participants. A refundable deposit of 10$ is requested to book a slot. The deposit will be returned upon attendance of the event. There will be no refund in case of no-show.

If you have questions, email [email protected]

bani haykal

As an artist and musician, bani haykal (Singapore, b. 1985) experiments with language, sound, and fiction. His work revolves around human-machine relationships / intimacies, and cultural identity formations reflecting critically on how language, tools and technologies have shaped and continue to shape our life experiences. From interfaces to interactions, from fictions to frictions, from commuting to communicating, the creative output of his research often involves the creation of DIY tools and it encompasses site-responsive installations, poetry, and performance as well as publications and music releases. He has participated in various festivals and exhibitions including Busan Biennale (South Korea, 2024), Seeing Sound (touring exhibiton, 2023 -2027), The Rumbling In-between with ila (Jendela Visual Arts Space, Esplanade, Singapore, 2023), [Alternate / Opt] Realities, State of Motion (Singapore, 2021) among many others. He has been a member of several music bands including B-Quartet, Erik Satay & The Kampong Arkestra, and The Observatory.

Host or Publisher NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore