“He will have his sky down there below”
It is with much pleasure that we can announce another date for the David Bowie is world tour, with the news that the exhibition will now visit The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (acmi) as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, from July 16 to November 1, 2015.
Minister for Tourism and Major Events, The Hon. Louise Asher, MP, made the official announcement at around 11am AEST to a packed press conference of excited fans and journalists alike.
Stay tuned here and to the following ACMI channels for updates:
#bowieacmi
PRESS RELEASE
The Australian Centre for the Moving Image as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces presents
David Bowie is
A once-in-a-lifetime exhibition charting the genius and legacy of an iconic artist and innovator
16 July 2015 to 1 November 2015
acmi.net.au/bowie
“absolutely incredible…fabulous” Jean Paul Gaultier
“a simple, ringing endorsement of pure stardom” The Independent (UK)
“a beautifully immersive, innovative show” The Huffington Post
“The sheer grandeur brought tears to my eyes” The Daily Telegraph
Opening in July 2015, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), will present exclusively in Australasia as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces, David Bowie is – the acclaimed exhibition celebrating the extraordinary career of one of the most pioneering and influential artists and performers of the modern era.
David Bowie is was created by the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London drawing upon unprecedented access to the David Bowie Archive of costumes, objects, album artwork, and memorabilia. The exhibition includes lyric sheets, hundreds of photographs, stage sets, rare videos, filmed live shows, over 50 costumes and interviews with key collaborators. Special displays within the exhibition explore Bowie’s influences as musician, stage performer, writer and actor – and his continuing legacy. At its world premiere in London in March 2013, it was the V&A’s fastest selling exhibition and became one of its most popular shows, drawing over 311,000 visitors and widespread critical acclaim.
ACMI Director & CEO, Tony Sweeney, said the landmark exhibition showcases Bowie as a true innovator in music, fashion and culture, and traces his changing style and reinvention.
“The mystery of David Bowie as an enigma is so lovingly explored in this incredible immersive exhibition you’ll feel as if you’ve stepped inside the mind of this astonishing cultural and pop icon,” Tony said. “Bowie is a figure whose social and creative influence and significance far exceeds his status as a pre-eminent rock performer and in David Bowie is, his incredible career is showcased in glorious detail.”
The V&A’s curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, from the Museum’s Department of Theatre and Performance, selected more than 300 objects and films for the show. Of the exhibition they said:
“The exhibition looks in-depth at how Bowie’s music and radical individualism has both influenced and been influenced by wider movements in art, design, film and contemporary popular culture over an incredible 50-year career and demonstrates how Bowie has inspired others to challenge convention and pursue freedom of expression.”
Bowie’s first major hit Space Oddity (1969) and the introduction of his first fictionalised stage persona Major Tom, inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, granted him critical and commercial success as an established solo artist. His cinematic influences abound with his elaborate storyboards and set design for the Diamond Dogs tour (1974) – originally envisioned as a musical – inspired by Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis (1927), leading him to take the combination of rock music and theatre to new heights.
Excerpts and props from Bowie’s own work in feature films such as Labyrinth (1986) and Basquiat (1996) are displayed in the exhibition, as do many of his ambitious and ground-breaking music videos. The year 1972 marked the birth of his most famous creation; Ziggy Stardust, a daringly androgynous and otherworldly being. A pivotal performance of Starman on Top of the Pops in a multi-coloured suit signalled a challenge of social conventions, daring fans to shape their own identities.
Bowie’s collaborations with artists and designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theatre, art and film are explored throughout the exhibition. On display are more than 50 stage costumes including Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burretti, Kansai Yamamoto’s flamboyant creations for the Aladdin Sane tour (1973) and the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the Earthling album cover (1997).
Bowie’s fruitful experimental period in Berlin between 1977 and 1979 is also explored through a series of pioneering records he produced known as the Berlin Trilogy, including the creation of the stylish Thin White Duke persona identified with the Station to Station album and tour (1976).
More personal items such as never-before-seen storyboards, handwritten set lists and lyrics are also featured in the exhibition as well as some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores and diary entries, revealing the evolution of his creative ideas. ACMI is the exclusive Australasian venue for David Bowie is. The ACMI season will include a specially curated program of talks and special events, late night programs, film screenings and live performances.
David Bowie is will open at ACMI on 16 July 2015 as part of the Victorian Government’s prestigious Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. Tickets go on sale to the general public in November 2014. To register for exclusive pre-sale ticket opportunities, visit: acmi.net.au/bowie
About the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI):
A globally unique cultural institution, ACMI presents and champions the art and culture of the moving image. Through a vibrant annual calendar of award-winning exhibitions, screenings, film festivals, live events, creative workshops, education programs and Collection resources, ACMI provides a wide diversity of audiences with an unsurpassed range of ways to engage with the moving image. As one of Victoria’s major cultural, tourism and learning attractions, and a national centre of screen culture debate and innovation, ACMI has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading moving image centres.
About the Victoria and Albert Museum:
The V&A is the world’s leading museum of art and design with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&A’s collections, which span over 2000 years of human creativity in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world, continue to intrigue, inspire and inform. More: www.vam.ac.uk
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Sound experience by Sennheiser
David Bowie Archive:
Costumes, materials and objects courtesy of the David Bowie Archive, with thanks to Archivist Sandy Hirshkowitz.
David Bowie is…Education programs, proudly supported by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation.