"All by myself/I will always love you" by Adam Milner

The tandem bicycle is very interesting object to me, both aesthetically and for its symbolism. When ridden alone, there seems to be an element of excess involved, as well as a great example of loneliness. The idea of being alone on a bicycle for two has been used in various song lyrics and is both cliche and poignant.

In All by myself/I will always love you, I wore a shirt with a big pink heart on it while riding alone on my tandem bicycle as "All By Myself" by Celine Dion played through a tape recorder on my back. I then picked up people that I came across and invited them to ride with me. When they sat down on the second seat, I asked them to change the cassette to Side B, which was "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston. When they got off the bike, I asked them to change it back to Celine.

In this performance, I hoped to create a lighthearted and cheesy atmosphere while facilitating and creating bits of relationships with those I encountered. I hoped to create a little utopia where it is normal to invite strangers and friends along for a bicycle ride, as well as to communicate through dramatic songs what is not often said. In this world of mine, it is acceptable to admit both loneliness as well as absurd, pre-mature infatuation or devotion. I wanted to create an interactive situation where people could get involved at their will. I hoped that by making the passenger change the tape for me it would be a humorous and tangible experience that illustrated the situation in an excessive way.

My performance would exist best in a longer time frame, and I would like to continue to do this for hours at a time when I have such time (and before it gets too cold). The morning of my performance I had to get new tires put on my bike, and I considered just walking it around with flat tires because it would be an even bigger symbol of desperation. However, I am glad that I was able to ride around with people because then the narrative could become one of shifting emotion, with hills and valleys of both loneliness and glee. I think in its truest form, the bike performance would not have a set audience or time frame, but could be an activity that I incorporate into my day and simply ride around campus, meeting people and giving them rides.

In a lot of my work I am attempting to create a relationship somewhere along the line. I think in this piece, that objective came through. I would hope that as I continue this act, I would have the opportunity to meet people that I would continue friendships with. (Today as I was unlocking the bike to take it home, I ran into a new student in the department and I got to ride her home on the bike. It was perfect, and I hope that these situations can happen as part of the performance.) I hope that my admission of desiring the viewer's love and approval can come across in my work and be vulnerable in the sense that this goal is rarely admitted but is--in my opinion--at the core of a lot of art.

(Photo by Kari Treadwell.)