Gary Oldman's here to guide you through the David Bowie Is augmented reality app
On Tuesday, the David Bowie Is app will be available for purchase on iOS and Android devices, and serving as its digital tour guide will be none other than Oscar-winning actor Gary Oldman. It’s a fitting choice, as Oldman and Bowie were pals, having both starred in Julian Schnabel’s 1996 film Basquiat. Oldman, too, was featured in Bowie’s music video for “The Next Day.”
As we previously reported, the app is an augmented reality adaptation of the David Bowie Is museum exhibit that shuttered in July of 2018. Within the app, you’ll be able to view 3D renderings of the show’s vast collection of Bowie’s costumes, handwritten lyrics, diary entries, and original works of art in immersive, 360-degree detail. As a bonus to app users, 60 new items that weren’t part of the original touring exhibition will also be on display. Check out a brief preview of the app here.
Oldman will lead the audio component of the app, his voice teaming with Bowie’s music to create an auditory experience that serves to amplify and elaborate upon the exhibits.
“This brings the amazing David Bowie Is exhibition to a wider audience. It’s great that his fans get to experience it. It was a privilege to be involved,” Oldman said in a statement. “I see him less as ‘David Bowie’ and more as ‘Dave from Brixton and I’m Gary from New Cross’.” Lucky.
The app goes for $7.99, and will arrive on what would’ve been Bowie’s 72nd birthday.