FOREWORD:
It is often remarked that tremendously influential figures only reach true prominence posthumously; this, however, is happily not the case for David Bowie. His ageless, endlessly creative persona was responsible for a seismic shift in popular culture that inspired generations during his career, and it’s this legacy that will ensure his star burns brightly for many years, and indeed generations, to come.
was, and is, a major source of his appeal. Moreover, he was all things to all people; whether your passion lies in art, music, film, fashion or social commentary, the sheer theatre and zest with which Bowie approached all of his projects won hearts and minds aplenty. Followers became fans, fans became friends, and friends became family. He was decorated in so many ways throughout his career, and won accolades so varied, from a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, to being awarded Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters by French culture minister Catherine Trautmann, to being mentioned in the Only Fools and Horses soundtrack, his industry recognition was befittingly diverse. It is with great symbolism and insight that celebrated British artist, Louis Sidoli, has chosen to craft a visual tribute to Bowie using the chemical element neon as his medium. Derived from the Greek word, νέον , meaning new – neon seems wholly appropriate for a man who invented genres, broke down barriers and created new audio visual landscapes enjoyed by his fans and contemporaries alike. Poignantly, whilst neon is ‘cosmically abundant’ it is extremely rare on Earth; a beautiful comparison to draw with the man who seemingly landed on Earth and, fortunately for us, liked it enough to stay a while. “I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human.” (David Bowie, interview in Rolling Stone, February 1976)
“I’m an instant star. Just add water and stir.” (David Bowie, Valentines & Vitriol, Rex Reed 1978)
Immortalised here through Sidoli’s marriage of sketching, printmaking, metallurgy, engineering, carpentry & neon glass, Bowie lives still through art. A keen artist and collector himself, Bowie took a certain pleasure from his only academic qualification being his O-Level in Art. He could often be found sketching, painting, drawing with charcoal and sculpting; yet one more channel through which his ingenuity flowed. In 2007, he established, and curated, the High Line festival – a new annual series of music, film, comedy and art events in New York. From curator to subject, he was later, in 2013, the focus of an extremely well-attended exhibition in 2013 at the Victoria and Albert Museum that documented his career through a carefully curated display of items, from stage equipment, to costumes to his own sketches, from the Bowie organisation’s own archive.
Bowie’s chameleon-like propensity to evolve and adapt
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