June 26, 2014
City Helmet Series #2
The helmet, with its slightly irregular spherical shape, is a challenging medium for artwork.
That’s what makes it fun for artists from five cities – New York, Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle – to try out their unique artistry in creating one-on-a-kind helmets for the Oregon Manifest city bike design contest now underway. (Those five cities happen to be where the finalist teams working on the Oregon Manifest challenge to design the ultimate city bike hail from!)
Last week we highlighted Portland artist Brad Simon’s bold and whimsical creatures cavorting all over a Nutcase helmet. (Watch the mesmerizing video of Brad creating here).
More of Meera Lee Patel’s bikey artwork.
This week, NYC artist Mera Lee Patel gets a chance to have her artwork shine on a Nutcase. Patel, who was raised in New Jersey, says her illustrations originate with the mysteries of nature and the big bright colors of her native India.
Patel’s helmet design is inspired by the bike paths of Prospect Park in Brooklyn and by the idea that each bike path is like a series of star constellations waiting to be discovered by a rider.
Sponsors Oregon Manifest and ARTCRANK will raffle Patel’s helmet at a party on July 25 in New York City for the benefit of local advocacy group Transportation Alternatives. The winning team designing the Oregon Manifest ultimate city bike will also be announced on that date.
Here’s Patel’s helmet creation video, too!