.ashx?h=67&w=80&la=en&hash=340524FD746527338490DF251ABF8B71)
The Victoria and Albert Museum's highly-anticipated David Bowie is exhibition opens to the public tomorrow (Saturday 23 Mar) and is the V&A's fastest-selling showcase in history, with nearly 50,000 visitors having already booked their tickets in advance of the launch. The showcase was three years in the making, with Bowie's own archives being the primary resource.
M was lucky enough to be invited to a preview: For many the costumes will be the highlight but the exhibition has so much more to offer. It offers an intimate insight into the creative mind of one our most original and enduring musical geniuses.
The soundtrack route of the exhibition works well and provides sense of being in the presence of the Thin White Duke himself. His handwritten lyrics, drawings, storyboards, music scores, album sketches and photography and personal memorabilia are interwoven with filmed interviews, instruments and portraits of the men and women who influenced his songwriting.
When leaning in to read his handwriting, study his sketches of a tour design, or chuckle at strangely lifelike puppets from the Where Are We Now? video, you almost expect a tap on the shoulder and a wry smile from the great man himself.
The outstanding creativity of the collection goes some way to explain why Bowie would have held on to all this material for so long, especially when you note earlier themes or design elements returning in later works. There is much here to absorb the fan and inspire those familiar with only a few tracks to delve deeper. It’ll also serve to provide inspiration for anyone working in any creative field - plus the V&A is the perfect venue for such a showcase.
Closing the exhibition are impressive floor-to-ceiling towering screens of Bowie performing. Juxtaposed against lit-up stacked mannequins dressed in his costumes and with his music booming through the room, it's almost like being surrounded by huge multiple Bowies.
The urge to shout for an encore was strong and many could have stayed on much longer after the museum closed…
David Bowie is opens on Saturday 23 March and closes on Sunday 11 August.
M was lucky enough to be invited to a preview: For many the costumes will be the highlight but the exhibition has so much more to offer. It offers an intimate insight into the creative mind of one our most original and enduring musical geniuses.
The soundtrack route of the exhibition works well and provides sense of being in the presence of the Thin White Duke himself. His handwritten lyrics, drawings, storyboards, music scores, album sketches and photography and personal memorabilia are interwoven with filmed interviews, instruments and portraits of the men and women who influenced his songwriting.
When leaning in to read his handwriting, study his sketches of a tour design, or chuckle at strangely lifelike puppets from the Where Are We Now? video, you almost expect a tap on the shoulder and a wry smile from the great man himself.
The outstanding creativity of the collection goes some way to explain why Bowie would have held on to all this material for so long, especially when you note earlier themes or design elements returning in later works. There is much here to absorb the fan and inspire those familiar with only a few tracks to delve deeper. It’ll also serve to provide inspiration for anyone working in any creative field - plus the V&A is the perfect venue for such a showcase.
Closing the exhibition are impressive floor-to-ceiling towering screens of Bowie performing. Juxtaposed against lit-up stacked mannequins dressed in his costumes and with his music booming through the room, it's almost like being surrounded by huge multiple Bowies.
The urge to shout for an encore was strong and many could have stayed on much longer after the museum closed…
David Bowie is opens on Saturday 23 March and closes on Sunday 11 August.
