Turning London's broken bike locks into furniture
Bike theft is an everyday reality in London, leaving behind a visible trail of cut locks and abandoned bike parts.
One designer, Cameron Griffin, has collected some of these discarded remnants and transformed them into functional art, creating furniture that not only serves a purpose but also reframes the presence of bike theft in the capital.
We sat down with Cameron to learn more about his new collection, aptly named ‘20,000’ – a nod to the typical yearly number of reported stolen bikes in London. Read the interview below.
What inspired you to create furniture from bike locks?
Living and cycling in London means I often see cut locks and abandoned bikes, though I’d overlooked them for a long time. During my time studying product and furniture design, I began thinking more deeply about these objects.
It felt like a natural response to create furniture that draws attention to the impact of bike theft in a playful, thought-provoking way.
My designs remained simple, transforming the shape of D-locks into recognisable pieces of furniture.
How did you source the bike locks? Could you share a bit about that process?
I started by documenting cut locks, dismantled bikes, and lone wheels left at bike posts and lampposts across London. Then, I began picking up locks that had been cut and left to rust.
Back at the workshop, I cut them up and welded them to create new shapes.
For some of the final pieces, I bought kryptonite locks to ensure I could still lock and unlock them, though I kept some of the original lock materials in the final designs.
Have you personally experienced bike theft, and did that influence this project?
I had my bike stolen as a child, and once I even had my bike lights stolen when I forgot to remove them before going into the pub!
I spoke to close friends and others about their own experiences of bike theft, which helped me explore the subject more deeply throughout the project.
What challenges did you face in transforming these unconventional materials into functional furniture, and how did you overcome them?
The quality hardened steel in the locks made them quite workable once cut. But collecting enough locks was difficult since many were left attached to posts, allowing the bike to be taken but not the lock itself.
I contacted local councils, and eventually, Brentwood Council’s transport depot provided a pile of locks and a broken bike they had collected.
Could you describe what you’ve created and the meaning behind each piece?
This project led to a collection of distorted bike locks, each exploring the topic in a different way.
- The three-legged stool is my response to the question, ‘How do I stop my bike getting stolen?’ with a playful answer: ‘Always sit with it when it’s locked up.’ The stool’s frame is a continuous steel rod with a locking mechanism at its base, and the cushioned leather seat is engraved with ‘STOLEN BIKE ££ REWARD,’ a nod to vintage bike saddle materials.
- The tall lamp lock represents visibility as a deterrent, featuring a bright orange light that attaches magnetically to be seen from afar. I also created a series of distorted locks that look stretched or twisted, mimicking how thieves break locks. One of these is a D-lock stretched a metre high and then two padlocks having more dramatic bends in different directions.
- Finally, there’s the £1 coin-operated lock, inspired by supermarket trolleys. It demonstrates how easily bikes can be stolen – here, you simply insert £1 to unlock it!
How do you hope your work will contribute to raising awareness about bike theft in London?
Rather than just showing statistics or putting up posters, I wanted to create objects that spark curiosity and conversation. Cyclists are already aware of bike theft, but these pieces might catch the eye of non-cyclists too. I hope the work widens the audience for this issue.
What reactions have you observed from the public? Do these reactions align with your original intentions?
My aim was to create pieces that spark conversations around a pressing issue. I’ve displayed the collection at two exhibitions, where I heard people share their own experiences with bike theft. I even took the stool to my local bike repair shop, where the staff found it humorous but resonant- exactly what I’d hoped for.
Would you like to see the collection by Cameron Griffin?
The collection will be showcased at the People and Places exhibition at Hypha HQ gallery in Euston, London, from 29th November 2024 to 11th January 2025. This exhibition features works from 13 emerging artists and designers, providing a platform for these pieces to reach a wider audience. For those interested in owning a piece, the items are available for purchase. Details and updates on future bike lock projects can be found on the designer’s Instagram page.
View @camerongriffin_d on Instagram.
Final thoughts
By transforming cut bike locks, Cameron sheds new light on a common issue. As he hopes, and we hope at Stolen Ride, this work should bring greater awareness of London’s bike theft problem to a wider audience – one broken lock at a time.