Lightroom, London
This hour-long, 360-degree film may skip over some chapters of Bowie’s career, but what is here is irresistible – and thrillingly huge
For a decade now, the posthumous David Bowie industry has been in full, unremitting swing. There have been umpteen reissues, box sets, books, documentaries, exhibitions and an ever-expanding range of merchandise that occasionally makes you wonder if there’s anything on which that quote about not knowing where he’s going but promising it won’t be boring can’t be printed. After 10 years, the possibility that the public might be suffering from Bowie fatigue has been raised, but the appetite seems insatiable. Hence You’re Not Alone, an hour-long 360-degree film directed by Mark Grimmer – lead designer for the V&A’s blockbusting 2013 exhibition David Bowie Is – showing at London’s “immersive exhibition space” Lightroom.
A lot of what’s been produced since Bowie’s death is clearly aimed at diehard fans. You’re Not Alone sets itself a trickier task: keeping them onside while appealing to a younger audience, allegedly more resistant to Bowie’s allure than those who remember his imperial phases first-hand. You sense the desire to cater to the latter in the way it concentrates on Bowie’s biggest-streaming songs: you get a lot of Let’s Dance, but no mention of Ashes to Ashes or Sound and Vision.
