BOW-EYE 96

It is 1996. David Bowie is at Davide’s North London studio, brainstorming ideas for a series of fine art and design projects.  

“As we sat flicking through books and sketching ideas, I found myself thoughtlessly doodling a series of eyes, then suddenly realised I was sitting looking into possibly the most famous eyes in history! Like an ancient message arriving from a distant galaxy, I knew I had to create something using Bowie’s extraordinary eyes; the vision of a visionary. Bowie was a true innovator, full of energy, always passionate to experiment with new ways of experiencing reality. To my surprise, it turned out that no one had ever before thought to document David’s ‘eye-conic’ eyes in macro detail. I’ve always loved taking ultra close-up shots of various forms and patterns in nature, weaving them into my art and designs, there is just so much beauty and mystery encrypted into everything. This would become a strong theme running through all the creative work I did with Bowie. So in that moment, providence had presented me with an opportunity. I quickly fetched my camera and fitted the most powerful macro lens I had in the studio.  I asked David to crouch down by a large window in order to catch the light in his eyes. I soon discovered that the lighting conditions were less than perfect, nevertheless, I shot a roll of transparency film, on various settings, with the lens practically touching his eye as I worked.  When I received the transparencies back from the lab and repro studio, at first glance, it sadly looked as if they were all very blurred and totally over exposed. But as I scanned through, three shots (the trinity) stood out. They were absolutely beautiful and somehow seemed to capture an energy beyond what they were.  In particular, one shot of Bowie’s right eye was filled with intricate tendrils of light and strange, vaporous tones. It conjured thoughts of an intricate world floating in deep space, teaming with life and unimaginable stories. And on the world lived a fantastical avatar of restoration, restoration of all our abandoned dreams and creative visions. As I’ve worked to reveal deeper complexities of the eye, that first exhilaration has only grown stronger. People that encounter it can truly feel it; there is a palpable energy. That to me is the ultimate message of the Starman Archetype: to impart the wonder of our creative spirit, to reawaken our lost dreams.”

Amazing digitally enhanced Art Print of Bowie's right eye, original shot taken by Davide in London 1996. Over a period of time Davide has worked on the original image to bring out more and more detail and hidden geometric gems. This is a totally unique and rare work of Art, different from the eye image Davide used for the design of Bowie's 1997 album Earthing.

This is a Limited Edition of just 8 

Size A1 23.4 x 33.1 inches

Signed, numbered, dated and embossed

Includes Authenticity Certificate

Free Global shipping

"Davide's work is potent visual alchemy"

David Bowie