Exhibit: Exploring What David Bowie Is!

Heya! A few weeks ago I entered the world of David Bowie at the one of the AGO's newest exhibits David Bowie Is. This exhibit was originally put on by the Victoria and Albert Museum in England (one of my favourite museums), where it shattered attendance records. Now making its North American debut in Toronto, I strongly urge everyone to go see what David Bowie Is.  

I was extremely excited to visit this exhibit. I caught a glimpse of David Bowie's character, when I saw him perform in concert many years ago, and was looking forward to exploring more of his world.

I love the way this exhibit is presented through sound and video, as well as the usual prints, photographs, and mannequins wearing the amazing Bowie costumes. I wore headphones throughout the entire exhibit that synced up to whatever room or spot I was standing in, or video I was watching. It was amazing. Not only did I lose the distractions of other visitors talking around me (except for the occasional person yelling to their friend), but I also could focus more on details I was seeing and the commentary or music I was listening to. The New York times acclaimed that David Bowie Is "united in sound and vision in a way rarely seen in a museum".

Featuring over 300 objects from David Bowie's personal collection, I highly recommend to put aside 2 hours to take it all in. I began my journey on the first floor. I listened and read how David Bowie started along his musical legendary path. As I wandered room to room and up to the second level, I marveled at Bowie's theatrical and experimental ideas transform into music albums, tours, costumes, and characters. One of my favourite moments of the exhibit was watching and listening to David Bowie's 1979 Saturday Night Live Performance of "The Man Who Sold The World". I stood there and watched it 3 times before I was politely nudged by another visitor to move along.

The exhibit ended in a huge auditorium like room, filled with some of David Bowie concert outfits, with screens on all the walls playing video of some of Bowie's well known concert performances. I got to sit down, rest my sore feet, and just listen and watch one of popular culture's icons do what he does best: perform. 

David Bowie Is exhibit runs until November 27th at the AGO. For more information, please visit www.ago.net/david-bowie-is/

And P.s!: The gift shop at the end of the exhibit is selling some great David Bowie merchandise and gifts! And please, if you do visit, PLEASE TAKE OFF YOUR HEADPHONES TO TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS! Thanks!

P.s,

Melanie!