Bikes and bodies: ghost bike memorials as performances of mourning, warning, and protest

ABSTRACT

In this article, I explore the performative nature of ghost bike memorials across the United States. Ghost bikes, flat-white painted immobile bicycles, are installed roadside to mark the location of cycling related deaths. The ghost bike is used in performances that mourn the deceased, warn others of danger, and protest unsafe or unfair conditions for bicycle riders. The white paint gains meaning through these performances and in turn, inspires a variety of performative responses from those who interact with the site. Studying the ghost bike as a memorial artifact leads to an understanding of how performative objects can be used to encourage social change.

KEYWORDS:

• Ghost bike
• memorial
• social change
• performative object
• bicycle

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.