Towards the end of last week, I was off on another trip in Italy, this time to Bologna (as well as San Marino) to visit the David Bowie Is exhibition. As soon as the tickets went on sale, we purchased them knowing that it was the last time the show was being held in Europe. I came out feeling so inspired and even more in admiration for Bowie and his work, and seeing as I can still intertwine the whole experience with fashion, I decided to write down some of my thoughts after visiting…
LOCATION: MAMbo Bologna, IT 🇮🇹
Okay let’s first of all start with the above pictures – I’ve already posted them on Twitter and Instagram and basically everywhere (including Tumblr) because they are just so magical. Shoutout to my brother for capturing such an epically timed set of photos of myself crossing the road to the MAMbo, just as a guy on his motorbike passed wearing a black star helmet. He wasn’t visiting the exhibition either just FYI – he drove past and proved that Bowie is still using his magic even now. It’s actually pretty crazy – I mean, what are the chances that someone would be passing at that exact moment with the exact same star?
Speaking of the MAMbo; that’s of course where the exhibition was held. It was a fairly big exhibition, but just the right size that if you aren’t a super fan of Bowie, you won’t get bored or uninterested. I’m not going to say I know everything and anything about the man himself, but I’ve definitely learnt a lot over the past few years with the help of my aforementioned brother, and was of course hugely hit by Bowie’s passing in January.
The cool thing about the exhibition is that you’re given a headphone and audio set that automatically plays when you walk around. It plays a mix of music, interviews and recordings, and as soon as I heard a faint whisper of a song in the first room, I could feel my emotions coming to the surface. I never really knew how much somebody I didn’t know could effect me, but I’m still not fully recovered from the news, and I’m not sure any of us will be for a while. So really, you can probably guess what it felt like to see some of his work (whether that be costumes, lyric sheets or paintings) up close and personal, just an arms stretch away.
WHAT I WORE: DIY ★ Jacket // Blouse (Charity Shop) // Super Crop Top (ASOS) // Printed Trousers (ASOS Africa) // Sunglasses (Topshop – Old) // White Vagabond Dioons (Mastershoe)*
A lot of people only know certain parts of Bowie’s story, whether that be his life as Ziggy Stardust (only a very small part of his career), his acting career in films like Labyrinth, or even for younger generations, his latest albums like The Next Day and ★, but there’s so much more to him than all of that, and that’s what the exhibiton really brings to life. There’s a dedicated section to his time in Berlin in the 70s, which includes some of the artwork he produced as someone who has always had an interest in art; there’s a film room dedicated to more than just his role in Labryinth and The Man Who Fell To Earth and there’s the very first original letter which shows the change of his name from Davie to David Bowie…
…and then of course, there’s the costumes. As an aspiring designer, you definitely won’t be surprised to hear how much time I took to look at each piece in detail. There’s an incredibly well preserved collection from most of his tours, including of course the more well known outfits and designs by Kansai Yamamoto (seen above – a scan from the David Bowie Is book). Seeing the textures and three dimensionality of everything really brings to life Bowie in front of your eyes, and is worth all the odd looks of being down on my knees in front of fifty odd people to inspect that knitted jumpsuit in dim lighting through a mesh panel…
…the mesh panel being in one of the most incredible rooms. A 360 degree square of lights and projections showing various concerts including the last ever for Ziggy and a performance of Heroes. I may have been in that room for longer than most, but it was genuinely breathtaking and made my heart warm when a few people started dancing – although the legend might not be with us now, it’s a time to celebrate his influence and how he’s changed the lives of many; past, present and future.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve now said this, but it truly was an incredible experience. I came away feeling truly grateful of the fact I was able to see Bowie create new music and leave behind such a powerful message. There are many reasons why he has such an inspiring story, but if you really want to learn why, you’ll have to visit the exhibition yourself. It’s worth all the travelling, all the money and all the emotions you may (and probably will) experience. Even just seeing the imagery outside the museum overwhelmed me…
Have you been to the David Bowie Is exhibition? How did Bowie inspire you? Let me know in the comments!
