Category

Events

Words

Tom Owen

Photos

nabiis

Tattooing in Taipei

Making a mark with nabiis

On a bustling, tucked-away street in a residential district of Taipei, the dedicated explorer can discover one of the jewels in Taiwan’s bicycling crown: nabiis cycles and coffee.

The appetite for cycling in Taiwan is growing, as it is across much of east Asia, and nabiis has been there to fuel the rise with excellent brews and a carefully curated selection of brands for sale. Whether exploring the streets of this fascinating city by bike, or embarking on a huge odyssey

around the entire island on the renowned Route One cycleway, once you’re in Taipei, there’s no excuse to miss out on nabiis.

The company recently expanded to take over the two floors directly above its original retail space, a sign of the growing momentum it has gathered. To celebrate this success, Brooks partnered up with the store for a special event and art installation.

“The idea didn't happen overnight it came together quite naturally,” says nabiis’ owner, Ken Liu. “We've always believed that cycling should connect with different cultures rather than be defined solely by performance or competition."

"Over the years, we've collaborated with Moon Face Dragon Temple on a number of projects, constantly exploring new ways to bridge cycling with art, culture and tattooing. The Brooks leather saddle is a product with real character. It changes over time, developing a unique patina through years of riding much like human skin.”

A conversation between Liu and Jacopo Porreca, Brooks’ brand manager, gave rise to the idea for tattooing onto the leather top of a saddle.

“We realised that if leather can carry the marks of time, why can't it carry stories as well?” says Liu. “That conversation sparked the idea of using the B17 as a canvas, inviting York Yeh and Sic Lee of Solar Dragon Temple to reinterpret it through the visual language of traditional tattoo flash. Rather than simply decorating a
saddle, we wanted to transform an iconic cycling object into a piece that tells a story.”

Each of the saddles that got inked by the two tattooists was a unique one-of-one design. All of them were put on display in the nabiis store, although many will go on to have a life beyond the showroom.

“We realised that if leather can carry the marks of time, why can't it carry stories as well?” says Liu. “That conversation sparked the idea of using the B17 as a canvas, inviting York Yeh and Sic Lee of Solar Dragon Temple to reinterpret it through the visual language of traditional tattoo flash. Rather than simply decorating a
saddle, we wanted to transform an iconic cycling object into a piece that tells a story.”

Each of the saddles that got inked by the two tattooists was a unique one-of-one design. All of them were put on display in the nabiis store, although many will go on to have a life beyond the showroom.

"After all, Brooks saddles are meant to be ridden. When these artworks begin collecting new marks and memories through real use, that's when we feel the work is truly complete"

“During the exhibition, they were presented as works of art. But what excites us even more is the idea that, once the exhibition ends, they begin a new journey. If someone chooses to mount one of these saddles on their bicycle and ride it, we think that's something truly beautiful. After all, Brooks saddles are meant to be ridden. When these artworks begin collecting new marks and memories through real use, that's when we feel the work is truly complete.” 

 

Liu says that the decision to stock Brooks was an easy one, founded on a shared perspective on cycling.

It’s true that art and bikes have a strong association. Many great artists have gone through a ‘bike phase’, with Picasso’s ‘Bull’ perhaps the most famous instance. Earlier this year, Brooks took to the streets of SoCal with painter Mike Dutton for a little light pedalling and some heavy sketching.

Executing the artwork directly on a bicycle is rarer, but not unheard of. Anyone who has seen one of Dario Pegoretti’s bikes will doubtless agree that a frame can be a canvas for art. But the saddle is rarer still.

“The first reaction from many visitors is simply to stop and look,” says Liu. “Most people have never imagined that a Brooks leather saddle could become something like this. Some visitors came because they know Brooks through cycling, while others came because they follow Moon Face Dragon Temple and were visiting nabiis for the first time.

“What we enjoy most is seeing people from completely different backgrounds start conversations around the same piece of work. Many visitors have also told us that the exhibition feels less like a bicycle brand event and more like an art exhibition which is exactly what we hoped to create.”