I had put up my hand to be among the first to test-drive Ride, a participatory project having its world premiere in Launceston this week as part of Northern Tasmania’s annual Junction Arts Festival.

Seemingly foolhardy to some, adventurous to others, five of us were all geared-up in leather, helmet and gloves to go pillion on a stranger’s motorbike heading out to a mystery destination on a 30-minute travelling radius from Launceston.

Each of us had been ‘‘perfect matched’’ to a rider and bike by the creator of the project, British artist Abigail Conway. 

Ticking the adventure box for me was Grantley  and his gleaming Triumph. Another pillion passenger scored a Harley Davidson experience.

The eight riders who have volunteered their time, bikes and much of the gear to bring Ride alive in Launceston come from a mix of backgrounds. What they share is a passion for bikes – it’s the journey not the destination, they declare in unison.

‘‘With bikes, there is the saying, ‘you are in the landscape, whereas in a car you look at the landscape’.’’

Never truer words spoken from where I sat, anonymous behind a visor, but physically exposed to the elements, the environment and the fresh smells of the bush.

With a specially narrated soundscape playing from a MP3 securely fastened on my arm for company, my riding buddy maneouvred his bike gently into the peak-hour traffic to ‘‘do a blockie’’ of the CBD,  allowing me time to get accustomed to the feel of the bike.

‘‘Just follow my lead, lean into the bends and it’ll be like poetry in motion,’’  Grantley said, as reassuring in person as much as his MP3 narrative was through high-performance earplugs.

From the city we headed north-east via Turners Marsh, Karoola and Underwood.

Bitumen, gravel roads, hills, curves and sharp bends, not to mention the risk of native animals crossing our path – the Triumph rode sleek and smooth.

While Grantley had the job of keeping his eyes peeled, mine strayed east across rural landscapes, west to a spectacular pink sunset, into the night sky of stars and at other times, immersed in the natural beauty of pristine bush. 

Exhilaration at full throttle.

With Conway describing her work as a ‘‘celebration of biker culture’’, the hour-long ride is all about reflection on how people think and see things differently when travelling through landscape.

With our mystery stop being a fresh water drink break by the banks of the Piper River in the serene silence of twilight, that awareness was acute.

As agreed once safely, and warmly, back at Ride HQ in Cimitiere Street, hitting the road on a bike is an awesome experience.

It was 32 years since I had ridden pillion. Jumping back on board for Ride, to me, was a Triumph.

Ride will operate on Thursday, September 3, and Friday, September 4, at 5pm and 10am and 5pm on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6. Bookings essential.