"I've been waiting all my life to pedal"

"I've been waiting all my life to pedal" are the words from a little boy who stumbled upon our workshop at the Festival of Britain.  It was so good to see how keen pedal were to get involved, particularly when you commonly get a case of the nerves like I.
When you set up at a festival often you can get those pre-party nervousness shootig through your body.  You begin thinking, "ooooo, 11am til 5pm....am I going to spend the day twiddling your thumbs or desperately spruiking your wears to every rabbit-in-headlights passersby?"  That's how I thought it would be, but as with everything, I little bit of positive energy goes along way.

Two kids and their parents walked our way, attracted to the cables and electrical components spread across our floor.... that's when we pounced! We started with a bit of elementary theory about atoms and protons and neutrons, and the kids slowly start to look around for where their parents have gone.  Then we give the tools and let them play with the components of a sound system their dad has specifically told them never to touch.
By the time they are on the bike, other kids are coming over looking to get a chance to ride the bike.  When the music kicks in on the 12V sound system, we have the whole hall's attention.  We are then flat out with kids and adults building and deconstructing 12V sound systems and AC generators. 
By 4pm we've done 4 or so workshops, done a couple of interviews and are counting our pennies for a pint each. 
The biggest attraction of pedal power that day was mother's wanting to get a pedal generator attached to the television, making it only possible to watch TV if the kids are active.  I thought the mums wanted it as a deterrent for watching TV, but then I was reminded of how much fun the kids were having pedaling.  If you were watching an action adventure, pedal power might make it like being part of the movie.  Pedaling for your telly would definitely, however, detract anyone from sitting and watching any old crap though. 

We backed up the workshop with a Cycle In Cinema, screening Peter Sellers's I'm Alright Jack.  It was well attended and heaps of people keen to cycle.  I was impressed with how sweaty people got but still wanted to keep going.  Two kids too small to fit on the bicycles shared the load by pedaling using one leg each on either side of the bike.  Very sweet indeed.  Georgie was the star - she pedaled for the whole film!!  Go girl!
 The whole event ended, as they do, with a huge clap and one unifed shigh.

Lessons learnt - fixies with mountain bike tyres can make it really hard to pedal a cycle in cinema as you can't change gear to relive yourself from strong resistance.

Pedal Power Dome @ Cloud Cuckoo Land 5-7 August

Dome Town

Cloud Cuckoo Land is a tiny little festival nestled next to Chedder Gorge, which is a very lovely, cider-drenched part of the world.  Probably about 500 people attended, making it feel more like everyone was just having some time off from a hard week sheering than a bunch a Londoners gathering to party hard.
Our dome was set up lovingly but equally as slowly.  It looked like a cracked egg and after a bit of rain was a runny egg.  It was great to see how keen everyone to pedal.  

These three were amazing to watch, spurred on by sounds and substance.  They created their own bicycle-bound style of dance and kept the power coming.  It all ended with Peter Rabbit confessing "I'm sorry, I can't see anything anymore."
If you can guess watch genre they are dancing to, I'll happily power your whole house with my own two legs.....
Big thanks to all the bands that played on our pedal powered stage during Pedal Sessions - Franky & the Jacks, Coco's Lovers (& their discombobulation), Sunday River, Crack Tan, Charlie Blue, the-guy-in-the-aqua-pants-sorry-i-didn't-catch-your-name and of course, the Punkture Sluts.

Cycle In Cinema 2011

A pedal powered scene from Panique Au Village (photo by Pawell Kucznski).

Magnificent Revolution's first Cycle In Cinema was well attended by over 150 people.  Scheduled as the final event of the 2011 InTransit Festival, more than enough people arrived on bikes to hook into the generators and power the show.
I made a short film of the process (music by 2007 BLT house band - thanks guys). 

 The Mag Rev team also activated their spanking new radio transmitter for the very first time.  Audience could tune their radios to Mag Rev FM and listen to the film's audio.
Though the transmission was  not very strong, as the venue was located under the Westway creating a lot of interference, some sound was put through the Pop Up Cinema's speakers - which only used 60 watts!
The whole screening used 450 watts over the course of the movie - all powered by people!!
At the end of the screening, everyone let out a huge applause, both from exhaustion and a collective feeling of success.
All these beautiful photos are by Paul Bence (faces.paulbence.com).

Audience awaiting the first Cycle In Cinema (photo by Pawell Kucznski).

Mag Rev's Dr Little preparing people power for the show (photo by Pawell Kucznski).

Power of the people (photo by Pawell Kucznski).

Pedal power motor, one of the twenty onsite (photo by Pawell Kucznski).

Cyclists enjoying refreshments at the Cycle In Cinema Bar (photo by Pawell Kucznski).

Preparing for the biggest event Mag Rev has ever done!

Yesterday was a lot of work preparing for the launch of Mag Rev's 20-bike Cycle In Cinema.  Renewable energy master and Mag Rev member, Matt Little came down to help with the final assemblage of the system.
THE POWER
Adam has built 5 x 4 bike generators packs (see below) which fed DC power into a super pack to invert it all to 240V AC.  This will create a huge amount of power - we will only really know the potential on Sunday with 20 cyclists, but I'm guessing over 1 kilowatt at least.
THE DISPLAY
Matt also brought in his latest design - a remote power display which attaches to the power pack so everyone can see how much power is being created any time. 
THE AUDIO
We also tested the radio transmitter for the first time, which will give the cinema it's audio.  Guests have been asked to bring an FM radio to the screening and we have a couple of cool little wind up radios to share around.  Using the transmitter will mean that the pedal generators  only needs to create 1 watt to power the audio, rather than around 1 kilowatt for the speakers of a PA.  This will give more power than to the HD projector and give the effect of being like a Drive In Cinema without the cars.

Portobello Pop Up Cinema suite

THE VENUE 
We loaded the equipment into the space late last night and it is a very impressive venue.  The Pop Up Cinema is located under the Westway motorway, off Portobello Road.  The screen is enormous and the venue is a cross between gangster lounge and an hobo-utopia.
We'll be screening Panique Au Village, a Belgian animation that claims to be "Toy Story on Absinth," so we'll be serving chilled Absinth along with a variety of organic ciders, ales and wines.
All fingers crossed for this new Revolution gig....

Mag REv HQ @ Hackney City Farm

This is Mag Rev UK's Head Office at Hackney City Farm.  It is lovely working there, so close to the chaos of the city but quiet and like being out in the country.   Sheep, goats, ducks and chickens wander around not more than 20 meters from busy Hackney Road.  The office is a renovated shipping container.  On the roof is a garden with a variety of native flowers.  They look like weeds to me, only because in Australia they probably are considered weeds, but it's good to be getting to know a new native ecosystem.  The idea of a "weed" is a bit strange anyway.

I really love being distracted from my computer screen by the braying donkey, Larry.  He seems so sad & lonely but is totally cool with letting everyone know.  Sometimes when visitors are trying to talk to him, he jut lets out a long winded fart to show his disapproval. 


Through our office window there are two enormous ginger pigs, whose names I am yet to find out.  They don't do much except sleep and smile.  I can really see where the term "happy as a pig in shit" came from.

In the office there are usually between 3 and 5 of us, which is pretty tight at times in a little shipping container.  But I'm really impressed with the way Mag Rev work with their volunteers.  All volunteers are involved with discussions on projects and are found a bicycle or laptop if they don't already have one.  Lunch is also provided by the Mag Rev team, which is really impressive considering how small they are.  There is no hierarchy - Mag Rev actively stamp out any and reference to such a structure -  all people involved are given the opportunity to get involved with great stuff, as well as making the coffee and preparing lunch for everyone.  
Babs and Adam have also put me up in their homes (I've just moved into my own room around the corner from the office).  So I am as pleased as a pig :)

Back from Secret Garden Party

I've been away from the Mag Rev crew for about 5 days working with the Green Stewards (who incidentally have nothing to do with greening the festival) and I have a few sights to report on - things that were interesting and perhaps a few thoughts along the way.

"Josephine the Machine" by Circus Kineti

Firstly though, there was a very impressive pedal powered water sculpture Distillery Machine by Circus Kinetica and Courvoisier.  On top of the hill they placed a steam punk styled bar, with various pedal contraptions that moved water and power around to generator the kinetic sculpture.  I've been thinking lately that kinetic sculptures are my new favourite thing and this sculpture only reiterates this. 
    One of the pedal generators was collating the amount of miles that punters put into the machine.  I guessed around 270 miles - waiting to here back about the total.  The Small World Stage was a solar powered venue that provided a lovely atmosphere - though I didn't make it there at night time.  I did have my morning breakfast there and feel much at home.  I also enjoyed the Barbe Bleue puppet show.  Puppets are cool.

Music I saw and liked was few and far between actually.  Top of the list was The Scrumpettes (3 gals, 3 ukes), Stealing Sheep (magical doom siren esk vocals), Secret Sisters (sad country songs) and Cakes & Ale (a very motley crew indeed).  All in all, it seems I'm mostly attracted to woman in harmony at the moment.

While having my breakfast one morning, I was reading Positive News, a novel concept in itself, and I came across this is rubbish who are currently hosting FEASTS across Wales with donated and reacquired food.  There was a picture of people enjoying an open air banquet in the sun.  I like their style. 

Other groups doing this type of thing are Dinner Exchange (London) and Kumera Soupie (Newcastle, Australia).
Artisans that captured my heart were Pretty Rubbish and Naturally Bohemian - talented lasses with lace and pins.
A great job to all the workers at Network Recycling, who separated the waste when others were too off their face to care.  It is the ugly side of festivals that is not for the faint hearted.
I had a good laugh with PooTopia - the onsite composting toilet team: eco loos, always clean, always with loo roll, established 2002 (though I think that is a pun).  They have a DJ stage and rap about poo and charge ₤2 to use their facilities.  It was very funny hanging out and listening to them and their big social experiment.  They're Australian - hence the sensibility towards talking about poo.  Bill from PooTopia & I were born in the same hospital, though I don''t know how our conservation got there.  There's a bit on Youtube that will give a taste of the shit they do (no pun intended). 
More to come as my brain unfolds.....x

My first ride through London

I've just done my first ride from Brixton to the Hackney City Farm, home of MR's HQ.
I hope I don't speak too soon, but London drivers are much more courteous than Newcastle drivers: everyone gave me heaps of room (even buses!).  No one yelled or threw anything at me.  AND, there were HEAPS of other cyclists!
The bike lanes are just as dodgey as Newcastle, ie your riding on one and then they disappear.  But there are a few Cyclist Super Highways which are just lovely :).

This is where I traveled today:

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