UVic goes to the wall for Bike Centre mural

Cycling is much more than a hobby for fourth-year University of Victoria visual arts student Kyra McLeod. The former Team Canada bicycle motocross (BMX) racer will turn a concrete wall into a cycling-themed public art piece for UVic’s Sustainability Week, Oct. 13 to 16.

The 20-metre wall space is part of UVic’s Campus Bike Centre in the lower level of University Centre— a reclaimed car parkade now devoted to bike racks, storage lockers and a bike loan centre.

McLeod is designing a mural that includes structural elements of the wall—pipes and a large heating radiator—into her abstract artwork. “I want to create a design incorporating the idea of a series of movements and relate it to cycling and the progression of the city towards sustainability,” says McLeod.

Members of the campus community and public are invited to watch McLeod create the project this week. McLeod is among more than 2,000 UVic students, faculty and staff who cycle to campus.

“It’s my first piece of public art and I’m really excited it’s at UVic,” says McLeod. “I love my school and I want to give something back. I hope it serves as an example to future visual arts students to make a contribution to campus and show their skills.”

Sustainability Week promotes sustainable lifestyles and aims to get people out of their cars to reduce their carbon footprint, as well as lessen demand for campus vehicle traffic and parking. There is a host of activities, free bike tune-ups, a bike maintenance workshop and a birthday celebration—with cake—to mark the second anniversary of the Campus Bike Centre. More information on the week’s activities and events is available at http://www.uvic.ca/sustainability/involved/events-special/index.php.

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