When we heard “David Bowie Is” was coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art, there was no way we were not going to go. It was a moral obligation for Bowie superfan Brianna Wellen, and Aimee Levitt was curious if the exhibit would be the revolutionary combination of sight and sound it was hyped to be.
BW: The “Starman” setup was particularly wonderful for that because it incorporated the song, the video, and the costume. Staring into the mirrored alcove holding the propped-up costume Bowie wore while performing on Top of the Pops with the life-size “Starman” performance playing behind it felt like a private concert. When Bowie pointed at the camera as he sang, it was like he was pointing right at me! It really felt like the live-music experience, which the curators emphasized trying to emulate.
Probably the most emotionally gratifying thing was seeing handwritten lyrics and journal entries and nonsensical thoughts that turned into some of my favorite songs.
BW: I often think of Bowie as having such distinct personas at very specific points in time, but the exhibit did more clearly show the journey from each character to the next. The greatest thing about Bowie is that he did take in such a wide range of influences to create another completely unique entity.
BW: The whole exhibit was kind of an emotional roller coaster for me. Because everyone has on headphones, it’s just you and Bowie, living his high highs and his low lows. Looking at the handwritten lyrics to “Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide” nestled among all of his album covers while listening to candid moments of Bowie in the recording studio, well, I felt things.
AL: I like that we know nothing about David Jones.
Through 1/4/15 Museum of Contemporary Art 220 E. Chicagomcachicago.org $25
