Game Art: Steve Gibson's "Grand Theft Bicycle" (2012)

I am fascinated by artists' appropriations of Grand Theft Auto. Take for instance Gibson's Grand Theft Bicycle (2012). This mod features an interesting ensemble of "gangsters": Yasser Arafat, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, George Bush Senior, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Dick Cheney, Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Tony Blair, Mikhail Gorbachev, and many more. The unique feature of this artist' mod is the interface: a bicycle. Called the Borgcycle, this customized/hacked bike allows users to navigate/interact with the spaces of the videogame.

The bike also features an analog to digital CUI interface "translates" the user's commands into USB data:

In the game environment, the avatar responds to the actions of the player, who is facing a giant projection screen.

The mod begins in an environment that resembles an oil field in the Middle East. The cyclist encounters car populated by the aforementioned gangsters (Bush, Clinton, etc.) and eventually reaches an ersatz Baghdad. Chaos ensues...

Additional details about the

Grand Theft Bicycle was presented at the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History during ISEA 2012.

Steve Gibson is a British interactive media artist, interface designer, electronic musician and media curator. As a scholar, Gibson serves as Reader in Innovative Digital Media at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK. Descriving the project, Gibson wrote: "Grand Theft Bicycle is meant as an ironic commentary on the connection between gaming and war, but it remains an ass-kicking shooter game that will let you vent your anger at the idiots who are in command."

The project was developed with the help and

Submitted by Matteo Bittanti (all images and videos courtesy of the artist)