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The Victoria and Albert Museum Presents: David Bowie Is
Other | Tuesday 12th February 2013 | Harry
David Bowie is:
The Victoria and Albert Museum, 23 March-28 July
Ziggy Stardust returns...And yes he plays guitar.
Put simply, this could well be one of the most exciting exhibitions of recent years. David Bowie, one of popular culture’s most influential and fascinating figures stretching over the past five decades, is being shown in all his guises and glory at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The V&A has been given total access to the David Bowie Archive in order to curate the first international retrospective of the career of the legendary David Bowie, Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke; whatever you want to call him. The exhibition is set to explore the creative processes of the man as a musical innovator and cultural icon, showing his ever changing style over the years.
More than 300 objects have been chosen that include handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, photography, film, set designs, Bowie’s own instruments and album artwork. For any fan of David Bowie this really is the exhibition to end all exhibitions as never again will there be this kind of opportunity to gain such a deep insight into the captivating character of the man. The opportunity to view genuine Ziggy Stardust bodysuits from 1972 should be reason enough for the younger generation of fans to get over and see it, and it should suitably induce a sense of nostalgia to send the parents along too. Expect to see your parent’s generation gawking at the memorabilia on display, probably more enthralled than you even, watching videos of him live in concert and reminiscing about smoking pot in the crowd at their first Bowie gig.
Even though Bowie has kept himself to himself as the years have worn on (he hasn’t released an album in more than a decade and is rarely seen), his presence in pop culture has never wavered. Anyone who watched the Olympic closing ceremony could have seen that he really is a true British icon. Couple this with the news that finally there is to be a new Bowie album coming out this March and it looks like the world will once more be set alight with the fire of David Bowie.
Harry Illingworth
@harryillers
