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| Jessica Stockholder, Once Upon a Time, Kavi Gupta Gallery. Expo Chicago 2014. |
Happy last day of summer! (To the Southern Hemisphere-rs, happy almost-spring!) But tomorrow isn’t just the autumnal equinox; it’s also David Bowie
Day in Chicago. (Seriously.)
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| Bodysuit by Kansai Yamamoto, worn on tour. David Bowie Is, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. |
Expo Chicago, the International Exposition of Contemporary and Modern Art, returned for
its third year this past weekend, and the internationally touring David Bowie Is exhibition opens at
the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago tomorrow. I had the pleasure
of previewing both.
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| The pivotal performance of "Starman" on Top of the Pops. David Bowie Is, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. |
As previously implied, I’m a big Bowie fan. And that’s an understatement. Like, I’m not much of a jewelry person, but I wore a Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane necklace every. single. day from 2010-2012 (until I accidentally broke it—pictured further down in this post is the pendant); I have a Goblin King prayer candle (yeah…); etc. And last Friday, I got to be one of the first to see David Bowie Is in the U.S. (Insert weeping / raised hands in exultation emojis here.)
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| "Life on Mars?" David Bowie Is, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. |
What impressed me most was the show’s synthesis of art and technology. Before entering, you’re given headphones and a receiver. The exhibit contains 25 “display zones,” each of which has its own audio stream broadcast through transmitters that are mapped to the exhibit’s floor plan. Once you walk towards a different display, the corresponding audio stream activates. A brilliant way to avoid sound bleed, it’s in keeping with Bowie’s own embrace of cutting edge technology.
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| Yep, brought [part of] my Ziggy Stardust/Aladdin Sane necklace. David Bowie Is, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. |
The exhibition is a celebration of creativity, of creation.
It’s a fully immersive experience. That’s art.
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| Knitted catsuit by Kansai Yamamoto, worn on tour. David Bowie Is, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. |
David Bowie Is opens at the MCA tomorrow, September 23, and will be up through January 4, 2015. More of my photos from Expo Art Week can be viewed on Instagram.
