PEOPLE looking for a unique show that will challenge them to rethink their preconceived notions of art should take an easy ride on down to see Changing Gears: The Art of the Bermuda Motorcycle at The Bermuda National Gallery (BNG). Changing Gears is part of the BNG's Winter Exhibition which is sponsored by international insurance company Endurance Speciality Insurance Ltd. The motorcycle exhibit will run through April 1 and on display at the City Hall gallery are a variety of motorised bicyles, auxiliary cycles and motorbikes from the 1950s to the present.

Sophie Cressall, the curator for the BNG, said Changing Gears was created to attract interest and bring in people who don't normally go to the BNG. She explained the theme of motorcycles was used because the motorcycle in Bermuda is a perfect metaphor for modern Bermuda culture. They symbolise freedom, escapism, identity, creativity and personal expression.

"We are trying to push the boundaries of what is considered a mission of museums," said Ms Cressall. "Historically museums are here to present objects of high material culture that are authentic, unique and are grounded in tradition of art history.

"On the other we need to acknowledge, reflect and represent contemporary culture. Here at the National Gallery I feel we are doing a great job of combining the two. We are challenging the notion of what is art and what is culture and combining the two. We have an art form that is inspired by and in direct response to the culture of the times. If art is something that is informed and produced with a vision then this is it. The genesis of this exhibit was to push the envelope and to try to attract new people to come to the National Gallery. This is a contemporary creative experience which mirrors its environment."

The motorcycles in the exhibition were chosen because they featured technological and design innovation and they embodied the culture of Bermuda for the last 60 years. Some of the bikes have been custom-built from scratch (using such innovative materials as an old stop sign). Walking around the exhibit is like taking a trip down memory lane for some. The bikes reflect the 1950s leather-jacket chopper culture of America (which quietly influenced Bermuda at the time); the 1960's birth of pack racing and customisation of bikes; the flamboyant disco era of the 1970s; the flashy consumerism of the 1980s; and the birth of the digital age in the 1990s through to today when bikes continue to be modified and street racing in packs has evolved to organised motocross events.

"In 1908 there was legislation put in place that said there were to be no motor vehicles on the island because the roads weren't suitable," said Ms Cressall. "During World War Two they brought a few motor vehicles in and it was in 1946 that Parliament passed legislation which allowed us to bring cars into Bermuda. Along with the first cars a few auxiliary cycles were brought in to see if they would be OK for the roads. They also brought in a motorcycle called the Hudson to do a test to see if it was suitable.

"Two hundred people lined the streets of Queen and Reid Street to watch these bikes do their display and see if it was a good idea - which it was. When the motorbike first came to Bermuda it was really a mode of transportation that symbolised freedom. They were a lot cheaper than cars and allowed people to get out and explore the island as they never had before and to increase the speed of life.

"At that time there were no modifications and people were not putting their own expressions on their bikes. It was purely a practical piece of machinery which allowed you to get from A to B. They did accessorise as there were accessories available to the bikes, but no customisation."

Ms Cressall said the 1960s was an important decade for the evolution of Bermuda's motorcycle culture.

"The '60s saw the introduction to the Mobylette, customisation, modification and the pack racing culture on the island," she said. "What they did to these bikes was amazing. At the exhibition we have a Cyrus bike and a Mobylette: bikes that amounted to teenage declarations of independence from their parents. I was trying to find bikes that represented the creative responses to cultural changes on the island. The bikes reflect this.

"The ones we have from the 'Get What You Can' '80 s are slick and spray-painted and feature wacky designs. Modifying isn't as prevalent as it once was. It's more scooters now as opposed to bikes being mobile sculptures that Bermudians would take to pieces and rebuild from scratch. Still, the bike is used these days as a two-wheel canvas for airbrushing, spray painting and art additions."

Modified bikes are not the only ones on display

"There are a couple of bikes in the exhibition which are completely stock," said Miss Cressall. "What we've tried to do is take you all the way from a stock bike to show the progression of the art form."

Since starting work on the Changing Gears exhibition, Ms Cressall has become quite fluent in the language of the Bermuda bike world - terms like "All Tricked Out" and "Souped Up" dance nimbly off her tongue. Interestingly she said it was sometimes harder to find bikes currently on the roads for the exhibit than vintage models.

"I couldn't find a Yamaha V-50 because it's predominantly the youth of today who has them.

"Trying to find someone who is 16 who was willing to let their bike go was nigh on impossible," she said. "But one day I was driving along and I saw a beautiful V-50 and I stopped the car in front of it and accosted this poor fellow.

"I told him I loved his bike and that I needed it for the exhibition and for the story of the evolving art form of the bike in Bermuda. As it turned out he was going away to college and did not need his bike until he returns home and so now it is on display."

Ms Cressall has some parting words of encouragement for all artists in Bermuda.

"Continue to create and to express yourself through the arts. Institutions such as the Bermuda National Gallery will continue to support, recognise and promote art in all its forms," she said.