DAVID BOWIE is… VIRTUAL LAUNCHED TODAY
Groundbreaking Collaboration Between David Bowie Archive and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
RECORD-BREAKING EXHIBITION COMES TO DIGITAL/INTERACTIVE LIFE
MOBILE APP AVAILABLE NOW VIA APPLE AND GOOGLE PLAY
EXCLUSIVE BOWIE VIDEO AND IMAGES AVAILABLE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
The David Bowie is… Augmented Reality app has been made available today (January 8th) on what would have been David Bowie’s 72nd birthday.
Along with narration from the Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman the app features over 400 items to explore including video and images from the very beginning of his career through to his final album ★.
Exclusive video elements in the app include film from the 1972 performance at the Rainbow Theatre, 1990 Sound & Vision Tour, a Herb Ritts photo shoot in 1989, live performances from the 1974 Diamond Dogs Tour, footage from the experimental Diamond Dogs movie, and rehearsal footage from the 1976 Station to Station Tour.
The app also features items not previously seen outside of the Brooklyn Museum run of the exhibition such as David’s script for Lazarus along with his sketchbook for the ★ video, original lyrics and David ’s original drawings for the video concept.
The app is based on the record-breaking exhibition David Bowie is… that drew over 2 million visitors across 12 stops in 11 countries making it the most visited touring exhibition in the history of the V&A. David Bowie is… curated by Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, was the first exhibition of its kind and has set the standard for others to follow. The visual richness of this show and visionary nature of Bowie and his music made this a must for virtual reality.
The David Bowie is Augmented Reality mobile app is available in iOS and Android — granting access to the show’s hundreds of costumes, videos, handwritten lyrics, original works of art and more to the tens of millions of Bowie fans unable to visit the exhibition before it shuttered permanently on July 15, 2018. This virtual reality adaption of David Bowie is will enable the visitor to spend as long as desired on individual items and jump to others.
The David Bowie is AR mobile app is the first release resulting from a collaboration between the David Bowie Archive and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., who hosted the exhibition in Tokyo in 2017. The New York-based studio Planeta is designing and developing the AR/VR interpretations of the original museum experience at the V&A. The AR adaptation, a first of its kind, mirrors the physical exhibition through a sequence of audio-visual spaces through which the works and artifacts of Bowie’s life can be explored. 3D renderings preserve and present his costumes and treasured objects such as musical scores, storyboards, handwritten lyrics, and even diary entries–all in 360-degree detail, enabling intimate “behind the glass” access rivalling that of the visitors to the original exhibit, and enhanced by an immersive audio experience featuring Bowie’s music and narration, best experienced with headphones.
Additionally, the David Bowie is mobile app will feature dozens of items not featured in the original exhibition including some entirely new and exclusive to this AR version. The app is available now price $7.99.
The AR mobile app is the first phase of this innovative initiative, with the VR format scheduled for later release.
For more information https://davidbowieisreal.com
About David Bowie Is
The exhibition explores the broad range of Bowie’s collaborations with artists and designers in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theater, art, and film. On display are more than 60 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 EART HL I NG album cover (1997). Also on show is photography by Masayoshi Sukita, Terry O’neill and Mick Rock; album sleeve artwork by Guy Peellaert and Edward Bell; unused cover art for Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972); visual excerpts from films and live performances including Bowie’s first film role in The Image (1969), music videos such as Life on Mars? (1973), “Heroes” (1977), Boys Keep Swinging (1979), Ashes to Ashes (1980), Let’s Dance (1983) and Blackstar (2015); and set designs created for the Diamond Dogs tour (1974). Alongside these are more personal items such as never-before-shown storyboards, handwritten setlists and lyrics as well as some of Bowie’s own sketches, musical scores, and diary entries, revealing the evolution of his creative ideas.
