In this 1973 photograph, fashion icon David Bowie wears a striped bodysuit – a Kansai Yamamoto design / PHOTO: Sukita / The David Bowie Archive 2012
The David Bowie retrospective at Groninger Museum in Groningen, the Netherlands, took on a new meaning after the death of the singer on 10 January. Tickets sold out as fans flocked to the museum to pay tribute to the star, with the museum opening its doors on the day of Bowie’s death to grieving fans and adding a condolence book for visitors to sign. The museum sold more than 30,000 tickets the following week. The blockbuster exhibition, David Bowie is, has been seen by 1.3 million people worldwide since it first opened at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in 2013. It heads to Japan in 2017.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 1
Interview: Tony Butler
Tony Butler, executive director of Derby
Museums Trust, on how museums can
be a force for good in their communities
Attractions: Perfect Brew
At 15 years old, the Guinness Storehouse
has been voted Europe’s best-loved
attraction. Manager Paul Carty reveals
the secrets of the Dublin brandland
Profile: John McReynolds
IAAPA’s new chairman reveals his aims
for the year ahead, his vision for a
global association and how his role at
Universal Orlando informs his goals
Analysis: The Attractions Business
Business planning consultant
David Camp starts an exclusive eight-part
series, delving into the fine art of attractions
operation from a business perspective
Science Centres: How to Future-Proof a Science Centre
Peter Slavenburg of design agency
NorthernLight describes how invisible
technology, serious play, co-creation
and the digital experience will inform
the science centre of tomorrow
Promotional feature: Simworx Ventures
Simworx Ventures is bringing its expertise in cutting-edge media-based attractions
to a new audience of museums, heritage sites, zoos and aquariums
Technology: Beacons on the Horizon
Beacons have countless applications in
the world of attractions. A case study
from the Cleveland Museum of Art
illustrates the technology’s potential
Museums & Galleries: Art Attack
Some of the most exciting attractions
design is happening in new and
upcoming galleries around the world,
from firms like Kengo Kuma and BIG
Promotional feature: IDEA
2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year for the attractions industry.
IDEA looks at what it takes to win audiences and command attention
Mystery Shopper: Spring in Your Step
We disappear down the rabbit hole as we
pay a mystery shopper visit to Bounce
Below, a unique underground trampolining
attraction in Snowdonia, north Wales
Rides: The Ride Makers
Our ride makers series continues with
water rides, a firm favourite with park
guests. Three leading companies reveal
the latest trends in flumes and chutes
Technology: Tech Check
The industry technology unveiled at
IAAPA 2015: from VR to interactives, and
digital puppets to 20-storey LED giants
WRITTEN IN THE STARS Bowie has been honoured with his own asterism of stars.
Belgian radio station Studio Brussels and astronomers from the MIRA public observatory decided to develop a unique tribute to space-loving Bowie. A lightning-bolt shape was picked out of the skies to create an asterism – an arrangement of stars that when joined up sketches Bowie’s trademark sign.
“We decided that this iconic shape, from the cover of his Aladdin Sane album, should symbolically perpetuate in the stars close to Mars,” said observatory employee Phillip Mollet. “None of this is official, it’s just a very symbolic tribute to a great artist.”
Astronomers should locate the stars Sigma Librae, Spica, Alpha Virginis, Zeta Centauri, SAA 204 132, and the Beta Sigma Octantis Trianguli Australis.
Bowie has been honoured with his own asterism of stars.
Bowie at the V&A When David Bowie is debuted at the V&A in London in 2013, it was a groundbreaking exhibition, featuring cutting-edge multimedia technology as well as 300 objects from the artist’s archive.
Created by V&A theatre and performance curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, the retrospective reflected five decades of the artist’s reinvention and evolution.
The technology included 7-metre-high (23-foot) video walls and multiple screens displaying carefully orchestrated stills, animations, graphics, video, sound and live feeds. Visitors were able to immerse themselves in soundscapes thanks to a 3D audio system provided by Sennheiser.
The digital part of the collection was offset by posed mannequins dressed in costumes from the Bowie archive, and video projection of live performances. The physical archive also included handwritten lyrics, photography, set designs, album artwork, instruments and rare performance material, demonstrating Bowie’s influence beyond music – on art and design, film, theatre and popular culture.
Following the runaway success of the V&A exhibition, David Bowie is went on tour to Toronto, Canada; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Berlin; Chicago, Illinois; Paris; Melbourne, Australia and Groningen in the Netherlands – and will head to Japan in 2017.
The David Bowie Archive / v&a Museum London
Mannequins dressed in Bowie’s costumes at the V&A London. The groundbreaking exhibition is currently on the road
The David Bowie Archive 2012 / V&A IMAGES
With William Burroughs in a 1974
photo by Terry O’Neill
A view of the Groningen Museum. After Bowie died, fans visited the exhibit to pay tribute to the singer / PHOTO : MARTEN DE LEEUW
Groninger Museum has a reputation for avant-garde exhibits / PHOTO: Sukita / The David Bowie Archive 2012
David Bowie is will leave the Groninger Museum in April 2016, after an extended run of four weeks
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
In this 1973 photograph, fashion icon David Bowie wears a striped bodysuit – a Kansai Yamamoto design / PHOTO: Sukita / The David Bowie Archive 2012
The David Bowie retrospective at Groninger Museum in Groningen, the Netherlands, took on a new meaning after the death of the singer on 10 January. Tickets sold out as fans flocked to the museum to pay tribute to the star, with the museum opening its doors on the day of Bowie’s death to grieving fans and adding a condolence book for visitors to sign. The museum sold more than 30,000 tickets the following week. The blockbuster exhibition, David Bowie is, has been seen by 1.3 million people worldwide since it first opened at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum in 2013. It heads to Japan in 2017.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 1
Interview: Tony Butler
Tony Butler, executive director of Derby
Museums Trust, on how museums can
be a force for good in their communities
Attractions: Perfect Brew
At 15 years old, the Guinness Storehouse
has been voted Europe’s best-loved
attraction. Manager Paul Carty reveals
the secrets of the Dublin brandland
Profile: John McReynolds
IAAPA’s new chairman reveals his aims
for the year ahead, his vision for a
global association and how his role at
Universal Orlando informs his goals
Analysis: The Attractions Business
Business planning consultant
David Camp starts an exclusive eight-part
series, delving into the fine art of attractions
operation from a business perspective
Science Centres: How to Future-Proof a Science Centre
Peter Slavenburg of design agency
NorthernLight describes how invisible
technology, serious play, co-creation
and the digital experience will inform
the science centre of tomorrow
Promotional feature: Simworx Ventures
Simworx Ventures is bringing its expertise in cutting-edge media-based attractions
to a new audience of museums, heritage sites, zoos and aquariums
Technology: Beacons on the Horizon
Beacons have countless applications in
the world of attractions. A case study
from the Cleveland Museum of Art
illustrates the technology’s potential
Museums & Galleries: Art Attack
Some of the most exciting attractions
design is happening in new and
upcoming galleries around the world,
from firms like Kengo Kuma and BIG
Promotional feature: IDEA
2016 is shaping up to be an interesting year for the attractions industry.
IDEA looks at what it takes to win audiences and command attention
Mystery Shopper: Spring in Your Step
We disappear down the rabbit hole as we
pay a mystery shopper visit to Bounce
Below, a unique underground trampolining
attraction in Snowdonia, north Wales
Rides: The Ride Makers
Our ride makers series continues with
water rides, a firm favourite with park
guests. Three leading companies reveal
the latest trends in flumes and chutes
Technology: Tech Check
The industry technology unveiled at
IAAPA 2015: from VR to interactives, and
digital puppets to 20-storey LED giants
WRITTEN IN THE STARS Bowie has been honoured with his own asterism of stars.
Belgian radio station Studio Brussels and astronomers from the MIRA public observatory decided to develop a unique tribute to space-loving Bowie. A lightning-bolt shape was picked out of the skies to create an asterism – an arrangement of stars that when joined up sketches Bowie’s trademark sign.
“We decided that this iconic shape, from the cover of his Aladdin Sane album, should symbolically perpetuate in the stars close to Mars,” said observatory employee Phillip Mollet. “None of this is official, it’s just a very symbolic tribute to a great artist.”
Astronomers should locate the stars Sigma Librae, Spica, Alpha Virginis, Zeta Centauri, SAA 204 132, and the Beta Sigma Octantis Trianguli Australis.
Bowie has been honoured with his own asterism of stars.
Bowie at the V&A When David Bowie is debuted at the V&A in London in 2013, it was a groundbreaking exhibition, featuring cutting-edge multimedia technology as well as 300 objects from the artist’s archive.
Created by V&A theatre and performance curators Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, the retrospective reflected five decades of the artist’s reinvention and evolution.
The technology included 7-metre-high (23-foot) video walls and multiple screens displaying carefully orchestrated stills, animations, graphics, video, sound and live feeds. Visitors were able to immerse themselves in soundscapes thanks to a 3D audio system provided by Sennheiser.
The digital part of the collection was offset by posed mannequins dressed in costumes from the Bowie archive, and video projection of live performances. The physical archive also included handwritten lyrics, photography, set designs, album artwork, instruments and rare performance material, demonstrating Bowie’s influence beyond music – on art and design, film, theatre and popular culture.
Following the runaway success of the V&A exhibition, David Bowie is went on tour to Toronto, Canada; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Berlin; Chicago, Illinois; Paris; Melbourne, Australia and Groningen in the Netherlands – and will head to Japan in 2017.
The David Bowie Archive / v&a Museum London
Mannequins dressed in Bowie’s costumes at the V&A London. The groundbreaking exhibition is currently on the road
The David Bowie Archive 2012 / V&A IMAGES
With William Burroughs in a 1974
photo by Terry O’Neill
A view of the Groningen Museum. After Bowie died, fans visited the exhibit to pay tribute to the singer / PHOTO : MARTEN DE LEEUW
Groninger Museum has a reputation for avant-garde exhibits / PHOTO: Sukita / The David Bowie Archive 2012
David Bowie is will leave the Groninger Museum in April 2016, after an extended run of four weeks
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
