Aluminium, steel, fibreglass, vinyl and mechanical parts 180 x 130 x 230 cm Courtesy: Galería Heinrich Ehrhardt, Madrid

Bicitaxi is an exercise combining industrial design and sculpture. Pedro Reyes was motivated by his immediate surroundings: Mexico City, where between the year 2000 at the present, the number of automobiles has doubled, from two million to four million. This figure continues to rise, and estimates for 2010 top six million vehicles.

Traffic jams, protest marches, lack of parking spaces, and the presence of street vendors aggravate the situation, so that people need to spend more and more time just getting from one place to another. Carbon dioxide emissions create a smog layer that severely affects the air quality of the entire Mexico Valley, damaging the health and quality of life of all its inhabitants. These gases cause temperatures to rise in the city, with a negative impact that is not only local, but planetary, contributing to global warming.

Pedro Reyes’ interventions often come as a response to a situation, and can only be completed with the participation of others. Bicitaxi is a prime example of his modus operando, with a sense of urgency that demands greater involvement and responsibility in art praxis. If mass-produced, the Bicitaxi could be used to offer transport services in the city centre. The benefits would be many, including creating an alternative for self-employment.