In the summer of 2013, from 23^rd March – 11 August 2013, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London honoured and celebrated the life of the mega-star musician David Bowie and explored the creative processes of Bowie as a musical innovator and cultural icon. Bowie was not only an icon to look up to in the music industry, but he influenced other industries such as design, fashion, art and contemporary culture since 1969 when he first caught the public eye. ‘David Bowie Is’ is the first international retrospective of the career of Bowie himself, one of the most revolutionary and influential performers of modern times.

The 300,000 odd people that visited the V&A’s David Bowie Is exhibition that ran over five months had the opportunity to study his creative process, shifting style and collaborative work as he invested his artistic mind in in the fields of fashion, sound, graphics, theatre and film. The exhibition was home to more than 300 objects that were brought together for the very first time by the V&A’s Theatre and Performance curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh.

Visitors got to view his personal objects such as handwritten lyrics, original costumes, fashion, film and more. The display included the famous Ziggy Stardust bodysuits (1972) designed by Freddie Burrett and photography by Brian Duffy.

Freddie Burretti’s Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit
David Bowie is exhibition, 2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

David Bowie is exhibition, 2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Alongside the extensive display of personal items, the museum also had visual excerpts from films and live performances such as The Man Who Fell to Earth and music videos such as Boys Keep Swinging that covered an entire wall, making the audience feel like they were watching an actual concert. The multi-media design of the exhibition also introduced Sennheiser’s advanced sound technology which perfectly complemented the dramatic theatrical scene-setting, animations and video installations.

Gurney Slade, one of the influences on the early career of David Bowie
David Bowie is exhibition, 2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

David Bowie is exhibition, 2013. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Through the personal display items like original sketches to elaborate costumes to videography, the exhibition was beautifully put together to create an immersive journey into the artistic influences of Bowie’s rise to become one of the most influential names in contemporary culture.

David Bowie Is continues its international tour moving from Brazil to Chicago, Paris and The Netherlands from now until 2016.