David Bowie: new documentary "Unseen | Unheard" unveils an unseen side of him in Venice

The Venice Film Festival will pay tribute to the memory of David Bowie with “Bowie: Unseen | Unheard”, a project that will be presented at the tenth edition of Venice Immersive, the section devoted to new forms of audiovisual storytelling.
Signed by photographer Denis O'Regan together with Nick Ryan and Joe Crossley, the documentary reworks O'Regan's extraordinary archive: over eight hundred images, including famous shots, rarities and previously unseen material, trace roughly twenty years of Bowie's career. This is no simple photo exhibition, though: the work aims to transport viewers inside the moments captured by the lens, from the wait before concerts to huge arenas, backstage dressing rooms and private instants.

The installation, housed at the Lazzaretto Vecchio on the Venice Lido, unfolds across eight screens and 84 hidden speakers. Twelve Bowie songs are woven together with O'Regan's memories and commentary, while the spatialized sound, designed by Nick Ryan using L-Acoustics' L-ISA technology, builds a narrative running parallel to the images. Alongside the English artist's music are also original compositions by Mike Garson, his longtime pianist and collaborator.
The project was developed with the full involvement of Bowie's estate, following his death in 2016. O'Regan is convinced the artist would have embraced the initiative enthusiastically: "David loved technology, new ideas and experimentation. He wasn't just about music: he was interested in mime, imagery, theatre and film." It's an attitude that makes Bowie a natural presence within Venice Immersive: an artist who, in his lifetime, had already explored the possibilities offered by new technologies, from Bowie Bonds to Bowie.net, and who continues now to suggest new ways of rereading his own work and image.

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