David Bowie is many things to many people. Generations have found inspiration in his music, lyrics, personal style, persona's...And of all the press surrounding the hotly anticipated (and incredibly coveted) exhibition at the VandA, it's the stories, personal accounts and wistful memories of Bowie experiences that i've found the most fascinating...
The queue for the exhibition on members day was insane! Luckily i was standing behind an incredibly interesting women from Montreal who had been a Bowie fan from the get go and wanted to tell me all about it! Visiting the exhibition was all part of a four day trip to London to introduce her 19 year old daughter to the genius that is David Bowie!! Starting with the exhibition (she became a member just to get to see the preview - very smart) the plan was to finish with a Bowie tour around London, visiting old haunts and famous places such as Heddon Street, the scene of 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' album cover. Very Cool!
My favourite bit of the exhibition was the penultimate room. You're engulfed with the sound and vision of Bowie, with giant screens beaming out the most gorgeous footage of his live concerts through the years. The atmosphere was intoxicating. You could see from the nostalgic looks on their faces that many of the people around me had actually been part of these crowds - they were re-living their Bowie moment! There was a guy next to me all glassy eyed, probably dreaming of teenage years gone by, being transported back to that moment. It was gorgeous to see.
Then once i'd finally peeled myself away from the exhibition, I met Dotty in the gift shop. With it being member day only day she couldn't see the exhibition, but she was aching to know what is was like and had made the trip to be part of the crowd. And as it turned out, to buy a bright orange shopper with the famous face of Aladdin Sane printed loud and proud on the side! Dotty's story was my favourite...She was fascinated with Ziggy in her teenage years. She would transform her brother into Ziggy with their mothers make-up - the first time whilst he was sleeping! They grew to be huge fans together and have tickets for a few weeks time...
I found Bowie through fashion. His style grabbed my attention first, which lead me to his music. As an ongoing hobby over the last few years, i've been adding to a bulging folder on my desktop of Bowie imagery...the result of which are endless boards of his various looks and persona's. Here are a handful...What is your favourite Bowie look?
the 26 studio albums of Bowie's career...including the 2 versions of 'The Man that sold the world' - the original was too risqué for America, what with him wearing a dress and all! (Covers 3 and 4).
Space Oddity, 1969
Hunky Dory, 1971
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, 1972
gorgeous amateur photos from the Aladdin Sane Tour, 1973
the iconic costumes of Kansai Yamamoto
Station to Station , 1976 - The Thin White Duke -
The Man who fell to Earth (film directed by Nicolas Roeg), 1976
The Berlin Years 1976-79 - Low, Heroes, Lodger
Let's Dance 1983
How to wear a suit...
David Bowie Is...inspiring
