The Silver LiningAll hail Bowie
Posted on May 21, 2013
Wanting to do something a little different to the usual gallery hopping, we jumped at the chance to see the David Bowie exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum (or V&A for short) in London. Come on! An exhibition about one of the greatest music and fashion legends of all time that’s sponsored by Gucci and Sennheiser – haw yeah!
I have to admit, my ardent love for Bowie was something that crept up very gradually over the years. I’d hear songs on the radio or on TV shows and be like, “Woah, that’s so good”, then I’d google/Shazam them, and I kept coming up with a common theme – they were all by none other than David Bowie! This made me explore his back catalogue more and more, and I just kept striking gold.
Not only is Bowie a groundbreaker and major influence in the music world but he also never failed to make a massive statement with his fashion choices, constantly remaking himself to smash down new boundaries. He mastered androgyny with his 70s alter-ego Ziggy Stardust and has often collaborated with avant garde designers to create his outlandish stage costumes.
The V&A hosts a large collection of Bowie’s actual onstage outfits, instruments and even snippets of original lyrics – it was simply amazing to see them in real life. The exhibition also allowed us a greater insight into his early days before he finally “made it” and we learnt interesting trivia such as the fact that one of his pupils is permanently dilated after a fisticuff-related injury! And here I always thought he deliberately wore some kind of fancy contact lens!
After spending a couple of hours immersed in the fantastical world of Bowie, we recharged our batteries with hot chocolates in a courtyard overlooked by a number of the museum’s lovely red-bricked facades. If you happen to be traipsing around London any time soon, this exhibition needs to be added to your must-see list! The online tickets have long sold out but you can still buy tickets at the museum. We arrived at opening at 10:00am and managed to get tickets to the 10:30am admittance, and I highly recommend you do the same!
The Victoria & Albert Museum / 10:00 – 17:45 daily / 10:00 – 22:00 Fridays / David Bowie Is exhibition / Adults £15.50 / 23rd March – 11th August 2013
Wearing – Marcs dress (high end or affordable styles), Wolford merino tights, Madewell boots
He’s wearing – TopMan shirt and blazer, Urban Outfitters trousers, Converse shoes, Ona camera bag
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A Thousand Lights From A Hundred Skies
Posted on February 7, 2013
On the last weekend before leaving for Broome, I had the chance to have a sneaky-peek preview of Kyle Hughes-Odgers’ upcoming solo exhibition “A Thousand Lights From A Hundred Skies”. Jinn and I have been closely following Kyle’s work for a number of years – chances you have been too, perhaps without even knowing it! Kyle’s work can be found almost everywhere in Perth, from street murals in Northbridge, Subiaco and Claremont, to a shop wall in Pigeonhole, to a mural at Murdoch University. He has also travelled around the world, painting in such places as New York, Berlin and Cambodia. His stuff is unmistakeably awesome and incredibly distinctive, quirky yet somehow manages to grab your attention, hold it, then twist your heart strings in an inexplicable way – that’s some talent.
Kyle’s last exhibition in Perth was held two years ago. We were a bit lackadaisical about attending and missed the opening night, and by the time we eventually got there we were devastated to find that all the works had been sold! We vowed from then on and henceforth that we would not be such lazy butts when his next collection came around. Jinn had been following the progress and preparation for this upcoming exhibition closely on Twitter and Instagram and we were determined not to miss out this time. I was heartbroken when the opening date was announced – I was going to be in Broome. But unbeknownst to me, Jinn got in contact with the lovely people from Turner Galleries to say that we were interested in purchasing a work, and we were granted an early preview of the works which were actually already hanging in the gallery, ready for exhibiting!
It was seriously my lucky day/dream come true/prayers answered/fairy godmother moment. What an experience to get to see Kyle’s latest collection of works in their entirety, and with a somewhat behind-the-scenes commentary/guided tour with Helen, the lovely Gallery Director who let us in that day. She even showed us some older works of his from previous collections. It totally added yet another dimension and depth to viewing the paintings and an insight into how his style has evolved over the years.
We oohed and aahed and admired the works, and then we ummed and aahed while we vacillated between which one we would choose. And then – we did it! We went with our initial gut instincts and chose “A Future Life”. After the exhibition we’ll get to bring our very first piece of original art home (i.e. not a print!) and find the perfect bit of wall for it where we will undoubtedly continue to enjoy it.
Be sure to check out the exhibition! Kyle Hughes-Odgers is a locally grown talent who is taking on the international stage in a serious way – watch this space and see him explode, I guarantee it.
“A Thousand Lights From a Hundred Skies”
Feb 8 – March 9 2013
Turner Galleries
470 Williams St Northbridge
Kyle Hughes-Odgers / Turner Galleries
The Silver Lining 