Two hundred years of history, viewed through the prism of bicycles from around the globe, are on display in Jerusalem.
The largest international bicycle exhibition ever seen in Israel, the “2 x 200 – Bicycle Exhibition,” is now on display at the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem. Featuring rare bicycle wheel models, including historical collections from Canada, Holland, the United States, and Israel, the interactive exhibition marks 200 years since the invention of the first bicycle.
One of the most significant contributions to the exhibition was made by Gertjan Moed, the founder of Europe’s oldest and largest bicycle museum, the Velorama National Bicycle Museum in Holland. The 64-year-old antique bicycle collector was on hand in Jerusalem to provide his expertise to the curators and guides on the history of bicycles in preparation for the opening of the 2 x 200 – Bicycle Exhibition on July 1st.
“I’ve really been enjoying my experience in Israel,” Moed told Tazpit Press Service. “It’s nice to see how bicycles bring people together and it’s been great to share the history of these amazing vehicles,” said Moed, who has been collecting antique bicycles for the past 50 years and still rides an antique bicycle in the Netherlands.
Israel Hosts First Exhibition Outside Europe
Moed sent over 30 antique bicycles from his museum collection including the oldest bicycle in the Jerusalem exhibition, dating back to 1818, as well as antique French, Swiss and British models from the 19th century. “It’s the first time that these bicycles have been exhibited outside of Europe,” Moed told TPS.
There are around 70 bicycles that are part of the Jerusalem exhibition, with some arriving from Canada, China, Africa, Holland, India, and the United States in cargo planes, in addition to innovative Israeli-designed models. “We want to show how bicycles functioned differently across the world including in the sphere of social movements and social changes,” said Maya Halevy, the director of The Bloomfield Science Museum. Halevy visited the Velorama National Bicycle Museum by chance earlier this year, which brought about the collaboration with Moed.
The exhibition also includes a young children’s cycling arena and experiential cycling. Visitors can also experience monocycles, tandem bicycles, boneshaker bicycles, and hand-powered bicycles for people with disabilities. There are also a variety of workshops, demonstrations, and construction activities for adults and children, involving bicycle chains, spinners, flat tire repairs, and virtual tracks in Israel and around the world.
The exhibition is funded, supported and assisted by the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Israel Cycling Academy, the Standards Institution of Israel, the Rosen-Meents chain, and the Velorama National Bicycle Museum in Holland. The Bloomfield curators are Professor Ido Bruno of the Bezalel Academy of Art, an industrial designer and enthusiastic cyclist, and Dr. Amir Ben Shalom, the chief exhibit developer.
The following three other leading science museums are partners in the exhibition: the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, the Universum Science Museum in Bremen, Germany, and the Citta Della Scienza museum in Naples, Italy.
“The Jerusalem exhibition will run through May 2018 and will then launch on a world tour, with the next stop in Bremen, followed by Naples, and Ottawa,” noted Halevy. “This has been an amazing opportunity for cross-country collaboration.”
“Israel is not a country that necessarily knows a lot about antique bicycles, but this exhibition will enable the Israeli public to appreciate bicycles as never before,” concluded Moed.
By: Anav Silverman/TPS
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