Bowie: Unseen | Unheard

More than ten years since his passing, it’s still hard to believe David Bowie is no longer of this world, so keenly is his presence still felt through his music and artists inspired by him. And despite the magnitude of his fame, there are clearly some new sides yet to be shown, as we were allowed to witness via the Venice Immersive installation Bowie: Unseen | Unheard. It is likely to enjoy a long shelf life after the festival owing to its compatibility with spaces that don’t require more advanced immersive technology (no VR headsets or XR glasses are needed to enjoy this journey through the singer’s artistry).

The project stems from the archive of Denis O’Regan, one of the great names in British photography. He has served as the official photographer for, among others, Kiss, the Rolling Stones, the Bee Gees, Neil Diamond and Pink Floyd, not to mention, of course, Bowie. O’Regan captured his image more than any other person in his profession, having accompanied the singer on more than 200 concerts. That’s where the Unseen part of the installation’s title comes into play, as the man himself explains in voiceover: going through his vast archive of 800 shots, he realized he could use them to tell a story and immerse the audience in what it feels like to stand alongside Bowie.

As mentioned before, no headsets or glasses are required for the experience: it all plays out on a series of screens in a single room, where up to 25 participants (in the version featured at Venice Immersive) sit at the center, as though they were in a movie theater, while the narration accompanies the images projected on the sides (it is recommended, for peripheral vision purposes, to sit in the middle rows at the center to fully take in the visual stimuli). Snapshots from concerts illustrate all the stages of a gig: the show itself, the backstage moments, and other fleeting instants that survive and achieve immortality via O’Regan’s work.

As for the Unheard portion, the voiceover itself is obviously a major component, as we get to hear about the Bowie universe from someone who was a key player in it for many years. But that’s not the only contribution from a former collaborator. Pianist Mike Garson, Bowie’s longest-serving band member, has composed new material which, paired with existing tunes (Modern Love among them), breathes new life into a musical legacy whose power remains awe-inspiring, courtesy of the innovative sound design work by L-Acoustics which developed the project. In fact, the one real flaw of the experience is that, at 25 minutes, it merely scratches the surface and leaves us wanting more. Given the lack of cumbersome physical equipment for the viewer, perhaps an extended version can be considered for future iterations of the installation, which might be ripe for evolution just like the career of the man it’s paying tribute to.

The experience will, of course, appeal mainly to existing Bowie fans, eager to discover something new, as suggested by the installation’s moniker. But it’s also a good entry point for those only partially familiar with the artist, as the energy emanating from the audiovisual presentation creates an infectious impulse to give Bowie’s entire catalogue a thorough listen and makes sure his work will continue to live on, through methods both old and new.

Directors: Denis O’Regan, Nick Ryan, Joe Crossley
Screenwriters: Nick Ryan, Denis O’Regan
Cast: Denis O’Regan, Mike Garson
Producers: Paul Keating, Denis O’Regan
Production Design: Denis O’Regan, Nick Ryan, Joe Crossley
Music: Nick Ryan
Sound: L-Acoustics
Production company: L-Acoustics
World sales: L-Acoustics
Venue: Venice Film Festival (Venice Immersive)
In English
25 minutes