'David Bowie Is' Brings Immersive Experience To Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, NY — It seems incongruous at first, the notion of a show about British rock icon David Bowie at Brooklyn Museum, an institution known for its collection of Egyptian antiquities and American art. To wit, when you exit the elevator on the fifth floor of the museum, you pass through a gallery of 19th and 20th Century American art on the way to the exhibition – a rather radical juxtaposition. There is also the fact that Bowie had no real association with the borough of Brooklyn, as he’d made Manhattan his home for over 20 years, living in SoHo up until his death in December 2016, two days after his 69th birthday.

However, all skepticism is dispelled once you enter the gallery inhabited by "David Bowie Is." The moment you place the headphones over your ears and begin your sojourn through the exhibition, you will immediately be enveloped by all things Bowie. Everything else falls away. You could be anywhere. "David Bowie Is" is a fully immersive experience.

While headphone-guided tours in most art exhibitions direct you through the show, in the case of "David Bowie Is" the voice-over follows you, tracking your steps like GPS, changing with each new part of the exhibition you encounter. You can go any direction you want and the voice-over will catch up to you. This feature helps make this show a truly personal experience. While there are other people all around you, there is a sensation of being alone, not unlike at a concert or in the theater, where you are among others yet under the impression that the singer or actor is performing just for you. It makes for a very intimate, profound experience.

Comprised of 400-odd items from the David Bowie Archive, the exhibition presents a kaleidoscopic portrait of the musician, artist, actor, fashion plate. There is something for every level of fan, from the hardcore to the casual to the neophyte. Costumes from his various phases abound; handwritten lyrics, notebooks and sketches; photographs and album art; ephemera from every stage of his fifty-odd year career. Even the ring of keys to his apartment in Berlin, where he famously lived in the mid-late '70s, is on artful display.

And then there is the myriad video and film footage interspersed throughout the exhibition: An early video for "Space Oddity," the breakthrough hit that put him on the map; a promotional video for “Life on Mars,” shot and directed by Mick Rock; film footage shot at Andy Warhol's Factory; music videos from every point in his career.

All of this leads to a gallery at the heart of the exhibition: A massive screen, upon which is projected concert footage from different stages of Bowie's career. I happened to enter the room in the midst of a live performance of his classic tune "Heroes," and I was overwhelmed with emotion. Moved to tears, honestly. It was cathartic. I could have stood there all night, and if I return to the exhibition again, I will go straight to that room and remain there for as long as I can.

"David Bowie Is" ... alive in Brooklyn.

"David Bowie Is" runs from March 2 through July 15. Admission is $20 for adults; $12 for seniors and students.

Photo credits: David Bowie, 1982. Photograph by Greg Gorman. Courtesy of The David Bowie Archive; David Bowie, 1966. Photograph by Dough McKenzie. Courtesy of The David Bowie Archive; Original lyrics for “Ziggy Stardust,” by David Bowie, 1972. Courtesy of The David Bowie Archive. Image © Victoria and Albert Museum; Aladdin Sane contact sheet, 1973. Photo Duffy © Duffy Archive & The David Bowie Archive; Original photography for the Earthling album cover, 1997. Photograph by Frank W Ockenfels 3. © Frank W Ockenfels 3; Promotional photograph of David Bowie for Diamond Dogs, 1974. Photograph by Terry O'Neill. Image © Victoria and Albert Museum