‘David Bowie Is’ Exhibition Released As AR Mobile App

The immersive exhibition  made its final stop at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City earlier this year, wrapping up a world tour that drew over two million viewers across twelve cities. Now, those who weren’t fortunate enough to see the exhibition in person will be able to experience the magic of Bowie’s personal archives with an augmented reality mobile app.

Set for release on January 8th, which would have been the Starman’s 72nd birthday, the app will be available on iOS and Android, and will grant fans access to hundreds of costumes, videos, handwritten lyrics, and original works of art that were featured in the collection. According to a press release, the augmented reality component of the release is the first of its kind, and “mirrors the physical exhibition through a sequence of audio-visual spaces through which the works and artifacts of Bowie’s life can be explored.”

Costumes and other objects are presented in special 3D, 360-degree renderings that are enabled with “behind the glass” features that provide extra insights to each piece. The experience will be enhanced by an immersive audio experience, including music and narration, which will be available in seven different languages. The release will also feature nearly sixty items that were not featured in the original show, which will be exclusive only to the app.

“The augmented reality adaptation of David Bowie is enables you to explore the entire exhibition in the intimacy of your own environment, without glass barriers, vitrines or throngs of visitors,” reads the newly updated exhibition website. “View it at your leisure or jump directly to the things you love. Revisit as often as you like and save any item to your own collection within the app. This spectacular iteration of the iconic exhibition is yours forever.”

The app is a collaboration between the David Bowie Archive and Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., which hosted the show’s Tokyo stop in early 2017. Planeta, a New York-based studio, was tasked with designing and developing the augmented and virtual reality interpretations of the exhibition’s first installation, which ran at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from March 23rd to August 11th, 2013.

A fully immersive virtual reality version of the collection will be released later in 2019.