"I have always had a repulsive need to be something more than human " David Bowie
David Bowie is.....
Last year NME conducted a poll to crown the ultimate icon of its lifetime. Bowie came third. A respectable place yes, but looking at his company it seems his talent was overlooked. Beaten by Liam Gallagher who, despite being in an undeniably good band, is now more remembered for his offensive and small minded opinions, it seems unfair to even compare a revolutionary artist as Bowie to such a person, let alone have him rated as less of an icon.
Outraged by this I brought the debate to the arena of a sixth form common room. Inspiring such quotes as: "he might of been an icon in the 70's or something, but people have forgotten about him now"; "I can't see how his influence has lasted" and "I don't even know what he sounds like" I began to wonder, were they right, has Bowie really been forgotten?
But this was 6 months ago now, and times have been changing! After a decade of almost complete silence and minimal public appearances, Bowie burst back into the worlds eye in January with surprise new single Where Are We Now? His new album The Next Day debuted at number 1 in the UK album charts selling 94,048 copies in its first week—the highest weekly sale of any album in any week so far in 2013.
And then there’s David Bowie is… the V&A’s exhibition breaking box office records with over 50,000 advanced tickets sold! A journey through the mind of a master, it is less of an exhibition than a sensory experience. With unprecedented access to his achieves the exhibition has over 300 never before seen pieces, from original lyrics to personal photos and artwork.
David Bowie is inside.
When you arrive you're met by one of many original costumes, no glass, no barriers, all that’s stopping you touching it is the force field of awe inspiring respect. Visually its feast, a mix of technological genius and. A Favorite piece being a mirrored chamber with the famous Ziggy Stardust Top of the Pops performance, reflected so many times over it saturates the minds eye. In the centre the costume that shocked the world and changed the future of music, its stance pointing right at you.
David Bowie is daring you not to reassess everything you have seen before.
Its dark, like a chasm of time and surrounding you the most eclectic mix of influences from Oscar Wilde to the moon landings. A periodic table of Bowie, colour codes those who influence him and those he has influenced, it reads like an encyclopaedia of post enlightenment culture with Bowie at its centre. The variety of influence is seen in his costumes which loom at you each shockingly tiny yet undeniably powerful.
David Bowie is “the prettiest clown at the circus”, hamlet, androgynous alien Ziggy, the Thin White Duke, Halloween Jack…
And then you are engulfed in his performance, each wall covered in a projection, he is performing for you, all his key moments; “this is Not only is this the last show of the tour, but it's the last show that we'll ever do” Ziggy before Rock n’Roll suicide “When I first played here in 1971this had just been released” before Changes Glastonbury 2000. Performance after performance and each one as powerful as the last, until it is almost impossible to drag yourself away.
David Bowie is everywhere.
David Bowie is runs from 23rd March to 11th August V&A
Last year NME conducted a poll to crown the ultimate icon of its lifetime. Bowie came third. A respectable place yes, but looking at his company it seems his talent was overlooked. Beaten by Liam Gallagher who, despite being in an undeniably good band, is now more remembered for his offensive and small minded opinions, it seems unfair to even compare a revolutionary artist as Bowie to such a person, let alone have him rated as less of an icon.
Outraged by this I brought the debate to the arena of a sixth form common room. Inspiring such quotes as: "he might of been an icon in the 70's or something, but people have forgotten about him now"; "I can't see how his influence has lasted" and "I don't even know what he sounds like" I began to wonder, were they right, has Bowie really been forgotten?
But this was 6 months ago now, and times have been changing! After a decade of almost complete silence and minimal public appearances, Bowie burst back into the worlds eye in January with surprise new single Where Are We Now? His new album The Next Day debuted at number 1 in the UK album charts selling 94,048 copies in its first week—the highest weekly sale of any album in any week so far in 2013.
And then there’s David Bowie is… the V&A’s exhibition breaking box office records with over 50,000 advanced tickets sold! A journey through the mind of a master, it is less of an exhibition than a sensory experience. With unprecedented access to his achieves the exhibition has over 300 never before seen pieces, from original lyrics to personal photos and artwork.
David Bowie is inside.
When you arrive you're met by one of many original costumes, no glass, no barriers, all that’s stopping you touching it is the force field of awe inspiring respect. Visually its feast, a mix of technological genius and. A Favorite piece being a mirrored chamber with the famous Ziggy Stardust Top of the Pops performance, reflected so many times over it saturates the minds eye. In the centre the costume that shocked the world and changed the future of music, its stance pointing right at you.
David Bowie is daring you not to reassess everything you have seen before.
Its dark, like a chasm of time and surrounding you the most eclectic mix of influences from Oscar Wilde to the moon landings. A periodic table of Bowie, colour codes those who influence him and those he has influenced, it reads like an encyclopaedia of post enlightenment culture with Bowie at its centre. The variety of influence is seen in his costumes which loom at you each shockingly tiny yet undeniably powerful.
David Bowie is “the prettiest clown at the circus”, hamlet, androgynous alien Ziggy, the Thin White Duke, Halloween Jack…
And then you are engulfed in his performance, each wall covered in a projection, he is performing for you, all his key moments; “this is Not only is this the last show of the tour, but it's the last show that we'll ever do” Ziggy before Rock n’Roll suicide “When I first played here in 1971this had just been released” before Changes Glastonbury 2000. Performance after performance and each one as powerful as the last, until it is almost impossible to drag yourself away.
David Bowie is everywhere.
David Bowie is runs from 23rd March to 11th August V&A
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