Artists and fans alike recall on his profound impact of David Bowie through intimate stories and treasured artifacts.
Goldie
He proved to be arguably the truly influential individuals I had the chance to met. He showed up at my underground club night in London, a place he was able to remain incognito. In the studio, he used to perform within a haze of cigarette smoke like a beast in the fog. Additionally ventured to listen to drum'n'bass side by side. His approach echoed an alchemist – he sought to immerse himself in all forms since he believed creativity may stem from anywhere. A particularly statement he mentioned was the Renaissance master: By dusting off particles off a piece of marble, the form lies within.” That idea remained with me to this day.
I imagine the exhibit contains select his interviews, especially instances when he explored club scenes, the web, and the impending abundance of content availability. Hardly anyone else understood the shift as clearly as he did. He described this new reality with the words: “Treat this thing like a velvet claw. It appears extremely soft and intense on your skin, yet it has the power to slice you deeply.”
The Music Artist
Spending time in museum-library collections sits high of my peak journeys. I had pictured Emily Dickinson as introspective, mourning, or enthralled. However during a trip to the Emily Dickinson museum, I came across her favorite white cotton house dress: an item meant for cleaning or cooking. Regardless of all her impactful verses written on paper, that clothing revealed that she was a petite tiny bird of a woman, more diminutive than me. I feel a feeling that the costumes produced by Freddie Burretti would offer me a comparable revelation about David.
When I was a teenager living in the countryside of New York State, someone passed along a copy of Ziggy Stardust. It brought me wholly to another place. Featured on the sleeve, Bowie sported a textured suit with a bold pattern, a form-fitting jacket open to the waist and matching trousers. He appeared alien, cocky, incredibly cool, ambiguous, daring. The designer's stunning costumes throughout the Ziggy era perfected his gender-bending rock star persona. If I couldn’t have access to the full collection, I’d settle for an opportunity in private with that legendary outfit that had such an important function in my adolescent transformation.
The Admirer
During my youth, I found The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust in storage. It’s a rare possessions I own from my father – someone who was absent but at least we have in common an appreciation in music. In my view, the garment symbolizes teamwork, trust and bravery. A discussion in a London club alongside designer Freddie Burretti created an androgynous futuristic character, the first of his iconic characters inside within a kind of time lord. His fusion of music, fashion and creativity felt so beguiling and eternal that his passing almost felt like another transformation. I’d love to examine with this costume to grasp how that was possible, how it started and the impact it had.
The Artist
During the time we lived next to each other in New York on occasion call up and say: Hi, do you wanna come over and jam on something?” One night when I exited the apartment his place, walking through a luxurious hallway adorned by art, he shouted: Wait a second – this is for you and presented me with his iconic cap. When I rewatched him in the film The Hunger recently I realized: “Hey, there’s my hat!” Long after, I lost track of it, I figured swiped by people I’d invite back to my apartment after hours amid partying with alcohol.
After relocating later on the West Coast going through some boxes and I discovered the lost artifact. I’m so glad to have it back, apart from that the Bowie artefact I’d most like to spend time with is a print for a show in Hamburg in 1978. There’s a sketched self-portrait and beneath are albums: Low, “Heroes”, ChangesOneBowie and Space Oddity. As a a period, nothing compares. It would be incredible to get to travel back to 1978 and experience him live his music and Station to Station, personal top Bowie album.
Peter Murphy, Bauhaus
Initially I encountered Bowie in this outfit was in a press feature announcing that he had returned to Britain, a notable event. Then the concert at Wembley was an memorable experience. That era was a move away from his decadent years and he attempted to sober up, evident in the outfit: sharp, formal blouse and trousers, accessory, {slick hairdo|styled
