Bike Hack + Soundride is a workshop and performance where participants contribute to the acoustic ecology of the city through simple sonic experimentation. During the workshop, participants are invited to construct bicycle-mounted noisemakers made of contact microphones, playing cards and mini amplifiers, and to take part in a large-scale sound ride through the city. The hacked bikes, now transformed into clattering machines, activate the urban environment – changing frequency as the group speeds up and slows down, undulating as riders spread out and converge in parks, squares and other public spaces.
To date, the project has taken place in Toronto, Buffalo, Cambridge, MA, Calgary, Copenhagen, and Sibiu, Romania. The interpretation of the project shifts according to local politics – in cities where there are collegial relationships between cyclists, motorists and police, the project is seen as celebratory, in cities where the relationships are strained, the project is seen as a form of sonic activism.