"Remember that everybody has to look in line/Blue Jean, wait out world, y'all know I've got mine" — David Bowie, "Blue Jean"

When omni-creator David Bowie penned the above lyrics to his 1984 hit "Blue Jean," was he looking ahead to David Bowie is, the expansive new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum? Probably not, just…yous never know — after visiting this evidence, Bowie's ability to expect all the way into the futurity is clear every bit day.

And information technology will exist worth any await in a museum line to experience all the ways that Bowie got his from Planet Globe, with the final terminate of an 11-metropolis tour of his annal that landed ultimately – as he did – in New York Urban center. Highlights from his personal archive including handwritten lyrics, original costumes, photography, album artwork and rare performance material are on display in Brooklyn from March 2 – July fifteenthursday, for ticket prices ranging from $20-2000.

The Pants of Insanity are literally just the beginning of what makes "David Bowie is" memorable.

Go Bowie

Whether your allegiance to this clamorous showman runs mild, wild, or even totally indifferent, its highly worthwhile to stop in on David Bowie is. That'south considering no matter how well you thought you knew him, this show will inspire y'all as it expands on your Bowie information base of operations: Costumes, visual fine art, video, music and many more of his expressions — public and individual — are all mashed massively together in this one place. David Bowie is provides to testament to what emerges when a brilliantly talented person wins the right to spend his life wholly focused on creating.

For the audio crowd, showroom sponsor Sennheiser stepped up to drastically elevate the audio component. High-quality headphones transmitting AMBEO 3D sound and a carefully created back-trail audio tour — produced by his beloved collaborator Tony Visconti — makes this more than just a regular art exhibit/career retrospective. As you motion through the galleries, passing video displays, photos, and costumes, classic songs from Bowie meld seamlessly into interviews and conversations with the pop culture primary — plugging you directly into his memories, musings and intent.

David Bowie in 1982. Photo credit: Greg Gorman, Courtesy of the David Bowie Annal.

Requite David Bowie is extra credit for putting his recording studio exploits in the spotlight for the exhibition. This is an artist who released 27 studio albums between 1967-2016, and another 150+ singles, clocking countless hours at facilities in London, NYC, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Berlin, Montreaux and many more. He went from mono in the beginning all the way to surround, and no matter everything else he accomplished, recording studio artistry was his #1 priority. That'southward a fact that the acclaimed producer Visconti can adjure to, as can engineer Mario McNulty (who provides a first-hand business relationship of working with Bowie at NYC'south the Magic Shop to record 2013'southward The Next Solar day in secret.)

An Exhibit for the Ears

Matthew Yokobosky, Director of Exhibition Design for the Brooklyn Museum, treasured the actress dimension of sound that came with curating David Bowie is, calculation on to what was already a lush sonic feel planned by the exhibit'south organizer, London'due south Victoria and Albert Museum.

"In the case of an creative person like David Bowie, sound is an essential part of his story," Yokobosky told SonicScoop. "Songs lend mood, and rhythm, and words/lyrics into the overall experience. Soundscapes, such as those on Bowie Low and Heroes albums near give y'all a sense of place. In fact, his collaborator Brian Eno has previously made an album entitled Discreet Music based on Eric Satie'southward idea of 'furniture music' . . . music that was similar piece of furniture or wallpaper in a room. It was because of Discreet Music that he contacted Eno to piece of work on the Berlin triptych.

Connect directly to David Bowie's artistic procedure with sketchbooks, handwritten lyrics and much more. (Photo credit: David Weiss)

"I have e'er listened to music while drawing, so for me it is a very natural 'audio environment' to work in," Yokobosky continues. "I've listened to some albums hundreds of times — Talking Heads Remain in Calorie-free, Grace Jones Nightclubbing — because these 'sounds' and 'moods' provide a very creative space in which to work. So for David Bowie is, I re-listened to his entire catalogue and returned to old favorites like Heroes, Scary Monsters, and Stage."

Although Yokoblosky doubtless attained his post for his visual prowess, he and his team took total advantage of the available audio elements along with the wireless systems, headphones, and Neumann speakers (in the final gallery) provided past Sennheiser.

"The immersive sound experience for David Bowie is is seamless from the time you enter the exhibition until you exit and render your headphones," he observes. "It'due south about similar a soundtrack to an art exhibition, room to room, scene to scene. Very cinematic. Each song is a part of the storyline; each interview is the dialogue, explaining his stories, his experiences as a musician. Perhaps more than documentary, more poetic."

Yokoblosky got a major help with David Bowie is from Sennheiser's Robert Genereux, CTS, CWTS, a veteran of the technical sound setup for all of the prove's 10 previous stops. In each city, Genereux and his squad kept the headphones humming using Sennheiser'south guidePORT system for streaming audio tours. As the show progressed from venue to venue, this subtle but crucial technology continued to evolve.

"Since the exhibition is very pop – and since there are then many visitors – we gradually fabricated more space between each guidePORT zones for the in-headphone portion of the show," Genereux explains. "Fifty-fifty if technically we can create very small triggering areas, this does not help visitors, which is why now the guidePORT zones are bigger and more spread apart.

Max Glam — David Bowie in 1973. Photo credit: Masayoshi Sukita, courtesy of Sukita/The David Bowie Archive.

"The ability to stream real-time audio on location and synched to videos is the key component of the company experience," he continues. "All this is done automatically based on each visitor location in the exhibition. We tin also have an unlimited number of concurrent visitors, infinite permitting."

Collaborating closely with Genereux, Yokoblosky ensured that the last gallery of the Brooklyn exhibition left visitors with a ane-of-a-kind expect and listen to David Bowie, as footage of half dozen song performances are displayed on three huge screens that are front, left and center. The audio files were upmixed from mono, stereo or 5.1 to the AMBEO 3D audio format, then played out over a ix.ane setup of Neumann speakers for a about welcome immersion.

"In the last gallery, at the other ten venues half the plan was in headphones; half on speakers," Yokoblosky explains. "For Brooklyn I chose to accept that concert gallery be a 100% speaker experience, thereby emphasizing Sennheiser's new 3D audio technology.  You lot truly experience like you're in a concert in that room.  So I had 'Rebel Insubordinate,' and the two versions of 'Heroes,' upgraded to 3D sound files.

"Additionally [in other galleries] I added half-dozen videotapes, adding additional depth and sound to his story. These include his performance of 'Foot Stompin'' on Dick Cavett in 1975, and a new estimation of his classic 'Ashes to Ashes,' performed by Philippe Decoufle'due south dance company with singers, in Paris, in 2015."

All of this Sound+Vision adds up to a most amusing artistic overload: With then much testament to a singular genius to look at and listen to, it'due south difficult to know where to focus. All the ameliorate to become simply swept away by the finale'south huge, uplifting grandeur of "Heroes," which puts you face up-to-face with a truthful musical hero, singing to you live and loud in a unique theater.

Hair raised on the dorsum of your neck, you walk out satiated, notwithstanding suddenly eager for more than of everything life has to offer — just the way David Bowie would want information technology.

David Bowie is is at the Brooklyn Museum, March ii – July xvth.

  • David Weiss

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