The occasion of his 60th Birthday (June 8th) was reason enough for me to dig through my archives from the year 2000 and whip out this memory-making photo of me throwing metal with Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes! Woo! Yes, I had a poster of his face on my wall when I was in college — no shame! You can read that interview Here!
There is No Shame in Following me on Instagram at @WorleyGigDotCom!
LA Pop Art Salutes David Bowie with Line of Branded Apparel.
“There are Rock Stars, and there are Rock Gods – David Bowie is one of the few artists in history that’s both,” offers LA Pop Art company founder Joseph Leibovic, announcing his company’s partnership with The David Bowie Estate to celebrate the artist’s legacy with an all-new collection of Word Art apparel.
David Bowies’ passion for visual imagery was the inspiration for this collection of unique LA Pop Art hand drawn Word Art designs. The distinctive apparel collection is launched with several of the most iconic images in Bowie’s catalog, the first being a design which reimagines the classic Bowie logo using a selection of his most popular song titles.
A definite “Oh, Wow!” moment at the recent BDNY show — (boutique design for the hospitality industry) at Javits Center — occurred when I walked into the booth for Century Industries. Because: David Bowie Chair.
While running errands on my lunch hour, I stumbled upon a set of ten larger-than-lifesize bronze statues of various women, who are easily recognizable as celebrities or otherwise influential public figures, which turned out to be part of Statues For Equality, a public art initiative by husband and wife artist team Gillie and Marc. Statues For Equality is a global mission to balance gender representation in public statues and honor women’s contribution to society. While the installation includes world-famous women such as Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, Jane Goodall, and Cate Blanchett, the figure that stood out for me the most was one of Pink, because, well, she’s a rock star! The plaque that can be seen to the right of each statue explains the many reasons for each woman’s inclusion in the project, and Pink’s has the following inscription:
“Twenty-first-century pop idol Pink is a three-time Grammy award winning singer and songwriter who has released seven studio albums, has 15 top ten singles, sold over 50 million albums worldwide, and sold out tours all over the world, making her one of the most widely respected and popular musicians across the globe.
Installation View
As outstanding as she is influential, Pink received mass acclaim for her raw, honest, and subversive approach to pop music combined with her distinctive and commanding vocal performance that has inspired countless others to pick up a microphone and be themselves.
Outside of her highly decorated music career, Pink is a UNICEF Ambassador, an outspoken animal activist, LGBTQ advocate, and campaigner for women’s rights with a focus on body positivity and female representation.
Standing tall in an Aster, a flower loved for its hardness and variety of blooming colors, Pink chose the Aster flower as a symbol of her diverse audience from around the world as well as her transformative career.
Statues For Equality Can Currently Be Seen at 32 Old Slip in The Financial District, NYC, But It is Expected to Move On To Other Cities, So See These Fine Ladies While You Can!
This year’s Five Points Festival is a few weeks behind us now, and trust me when I say that the full-on photo recap of this truly mind-blowing event is on the way. But in the meantime, I’d like to satiate your craving for art toy news with a little teaser, featuring my favorite purchase from the show: these adorable Mini Lego Figures of David Bowie as two of his most famous personas, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane!
These figures were designed by artist Ron Reeves of Spandex Studios (SPandEX), and the attention to detail makes them instantly recognizable. For example, the toy above is rocking the Asymmetrical Knit Bodysuit designed by Kansai Yamamoto in 1973 for the Ziggy Stardust tour. Mini Lego Ziggy also comes with a Mic, so he can drop it.
And despite the fact that it says “Ziggy Stardust” on the packaging, this figure is clearly Bowie from the Aladdin Sane-era — distinguish by the iconic lighting bolt across its face. The card art includes an image of Bowie from the D.A. Pennebaker live concert film, Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars (1973). Perhaps a bit more attention to detail could have been employed here, but whatever. It is still pretty cool.