This November 26th, at Montreal’s Turbo Haus, Micheal Gannon sets up an event he called Motovember. An evening of graphic arts and music from locals artists where unique Biltwell helmets will be auctioned. Where goes the money? To the Movember Foundation. We had a chat with the guy behind Motovember.
ONELAND: Why Motovember? Why doing an event like this where the motorcycle scene meets the Movember cause?
MICHAEL GANNON: A couple of years ago, I had the idea to paint a motorcycle helmet to have as a decorative piece in my apartment. I’ve always liked the shape of classic-looking motorcycle helmets so I thought it would be cool to just have one as a decoration. I’m a terrible painter, so I knew I wouldn’t want to do it myself. That made me start to wonder how many other people would want something similar in their homes.
Around the same time, I found out that someone really close to me was dealing with mental health issues. I hated seeing them like that. I wanted to find out if there was a way for me to raise money to help people dealing with similar issues. I knew that the Movember Foundation worked toward raising awareness for men’s health issues including mental illness, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer and thought they would be a great foundation to donate to.
It just sort of all fit together, I guess. I came up with the idea to have local artists paint on motorcycle helmets, auction them off and donating all of the money to the cause. It was really important to me that the artists be based in Montreal. There’s just so much talent in this city and I wanted the event to be just as much about raising money for mental health issues as it would be about raising awareness for local artists.
So myself and a few of my friends reached out to local artists that we were fans of and asked if they were interested in being a part of the event and they all agreed.
ONELAND: What should we expect from that evening of arts and motorcycles?
JG: There are nine helmets being auctioned-off during the event. Bidding is from 20:30–23:00. The paintings are from all different styles: abstract, graffiti, contemporary, tattoo art and so many other styles. Hopefully there’s a style for everyone! An important thing to mention, all of the helmets are pieces of art and really shouldn’t be used at protective equipment.
Keeping with the idea of supporting local artists, indie-alt band Sainte-Rose will be playing and the whole night is going to be DJ’d by 99 Wolves, who’ve assured me they’ve got something special prepared for the event. People can come and bid, drink, listen to live music, dance, and just enjoy themselves.
ONELAND: Wow! Sainte-Rose and 99 Wolves, excellent line-up! And tell us about the venue for the Motovember…
JG: The event is at Turbo Haüs in Saint-Henri and is open to everyone (18+). There’s a $10 entrance fee and that as well will be donated to the Movember Foundation. I’d love it if people from the riding community came out to support the event. But, I think a motorcycle helmet isn’t just limited to the riding community, anyone can enjoy how cool they look. Even though the helmets aren’t to be worn as protective headgear, they would be awesome pieces to have in their homes.
ONELAND: Where did you get the helmets?
JG: A motorcycle eCommerce website based out of Montreal called FortNine donated all of the helmets to me. I went to them and explained the idea for the event and they gave me the helmets without any hesitation. I was really specific with the style of helmets that I wanted. I knew I wanted to use very basic but classic design and I knew Biltwell was the perfect company for that. There are three styles of lids for the event, the Biltwell Gringo, Gringo S and the Bonanza. Super classic.
ONELAND: What was the artists reaction when you offered them to work on helmets?
JG: I was so grateful because all of the artists we asked were super willing to donate their time and work to the project. I know that some of them were nervous initially as a motorcycle helmet isn’t a shape they’re used to working on. But they all did such amazing work and truly went beyond my expectations! I knew they would do great work, but the time and care that went into these helmets leaves me in awe. I want to keep them for myself.
For more informations, visit the Facebook page for this year’s Motovember.
WHEN: November 26th
WHERE: Turbo Haüs, 5011, Notre-Dame West
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