During his six-week residency in Broumov, American artist and researcher Mohar Kalra set out to explore the city from the perspective of its residents - focusing on the everyday routes people take to reach places that matter in their lives. Through close collaboration with local enthusiasts and community members, he developed and tested an interactive project that aimed to reflect these personal journeys. By the end of his stay, he offered the people of Broumov a memorable and engaging experience, a bike ride on a specially designed prototype bike, that invited them to see their city in a new light.
 

Immersion in the community

Much of the early part of Mohar’s residency was dedicated to immersing himself in the communities of Broumov, Hronov, and the surrounding areas. He sought to understand the rich culture and history of the region as a foundation for his project. To do this, he cycled around the area, attended concerts, spoke with representatives of the local administration as well as with the local Roma minority, learning gradually to see the place through the eyes of its residents. During his endeavors, he was supported by the team of Broumov 2028+ and the Studio Hronov, who hosted the residency. At the same time, he worked steadily on building his prototype, a street-view–style bicycle designed to capture these local perspectives.

Prototyping, prototyping

Although Mohar completed the first version of his prototype bike about halfway through his residency, it was still far from the final design he envisioned for public use. Determined to improve it, he devoted himself to testing and refining the bike. He visited the Divokola collective  in Josefov to gather ideas on making the bike more accessible to people unfamiliar with cycling. After numerous test rides and a public presentation during the Czech-Polish bike ride in Broumov, the prototype was finally ready for its official debut.

“Broumov in Motion”

The prototype called “Broumov in motion” was launched only six days before the end of the artist’s residency in Brounov, but was still ridden by over 20 people. As the cyclists moved through the city, a camera attached to the bike captured a photo every 30 seconds, enabling those at the starting point to follow the rider’s journey through a series of snapshots. These photos were also printed and displayed in an exhibition, giving visitors a chance to explore the unique routes each cyclist took. This approach created an intimate atmosphere, inviting even longtime residents to experience the city anew, through the eyes of the bike and its rider.

Mohar Kalra is an American artist and researcher pursuing a master’s in Digital Media at the HfK Bremen. In his work, he explores how we are poetically, humorously, and ethically entangled with the technological and ecological systems that scaffold our lives. He currently makes interactive public artworks that try to foster a more personal, vernacular knowledge of the natural and unnatural spaces that surround us everyday. In so doing, he imagines how we may regain the agency to care about environments that we are increasingly isolated from.

He is currently based in Bremen, Germany.