GOOD

Picture Show: Everyday South Africans and Their Bikes

Patrick James
08.04.10

Stan Engelbrecht and Nic Grobler's Bicycle Portraits is an ongoing project to photograph everyday South Africans and their bikes. Earlier this year, they used a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000, with which they are traveling around South Africa to meet fellow cyclists and tell their stories. Those pictures and stories will fill the pages of a stunning photographic book.

"There is an unspoken bond between two cyclist who pass each other on the road," says Engelbrecht. "If you choose to ride a bicycle instead of driving a car or using public transport in South Africa, you make a conscious decision to live outside the norm and put yourself in physical danger of getting robbed or mauled by a taxi every day. These fellow South African commuters are my people, and the Bicycle Portraits project is their voice. We get each other."

"I'm experiencing the project much like a ride on a bicycle, it is a journey," adds Grobler. "We see and learn things along the way. We make new friends and we have fun while doing it. To me the project is about people. It is not just about those we are photographing, but also about the audience of the project. The bicycle is facilitating conversation."

GOOD is proud to present a selection of images from the ongoing Bicycle Portraits project. If you're interested, you should check out some videos or donate to the campaign—a $50 contribution will reserve a copy of the book for you.

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