David Bowie is

Sony Music Entertainment(Japan)Inc.

About this app

“David Bowie is” is an adaptation for iPhone of the blockbuster exhibition that originated in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 2013 and toured the world for five years to record-breaking attendance and international acclaim.

This augmented reality exhibition tells the story of Bowie’s life and career through costumes, videos, photography, drawings, storyboards, music scores, handwritten lyrics, letters, and diary entries. It displays over 400 items from the iconic exhibition in a sequence of 25 newly designed virtual exhibition rooms, with many never before seen items. No headsets required, all you need for the best experience is a pair of headphones.

"David Bowie is...the freakiest show on your smartphone." - The Guardian

“Extraordinary stage costumes, inspired handwritten lyrics, production notes, diary entries, and music videos bring the 'artistic diversity' of David Bowie's legendary career into focus.” - CNET

David Bowie is includes:
- 56 Costumes
- 38 Songs
- 23 Music Videos and live performances
- 60 Original lyric sheets and design notes
- 50 Photos
- 33 Drawings and sketches
- 7 Paintings (that’s right, he painted too)

Each digitally scanned item can be inspected in astonishing detail at the viewer’s leisure, in their own environment, with no crowds or glass separating them from the intimate artifacts of one of the most influential artists in popular cultural history.

- More praise for David Bowie is -
"David Bowie Is… could have been overwhelming, but instead it felt like a vessel of his spirit." - Pitchfork

“If you loved Bowie in a manner that could not be reasonably described as casual, grabbing the app will be the best $7.99 you’ve ever spent.” - Buffalo News

"The David Bowie AR app conjures the sense of a present absence." - GQ

“Here is augmented reality with a soul.” - Hypebot

- Compatibility -
For Android devices that support ARCore. You do not need a VR headset to view this exhibition. Only your device and headphones.

- Privacy, Safety, and Support -
This app requires access to your device's camera and microphone in order to use augmented reality. However, no personal data is recorded or saved, your privacy is 100% guaranteed. As you will need to move around to view the exhibition, please be aware of your surroundings while using the app.

- Things to Know -
This app uses your phone and battery intensively - you might notice your phone heating up during prolonged use, this is normal. Taking breaks will help reduce this heat buildup. This app also streams a significant amount of data to your phone, so be sure to connect to a strong wifi network if available.

Please visit http://davidbowieisreal.com for support.

IMPORTANT
A Play Store issue is causing download issues for some people. If you see error code DF-BA-AH-01 or RH-01, we suggest you try the following:
- Follow the steps outlined here https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7513003?hl=en to clear your play store cache.
- Download the ARCore app separately and then try to download again

We apologize for the inconvenience and are working with the Play Store to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.

Ratings and reviews

Incredible in many ways. Content, design, and planning have combined to make an experience that may eventually come close to seeing the exhibition live. The current version has a persistent jitter on my phone, unfortunately, that makes it hard to stick with the objects one can view. If this issue is fixed, I expect my rating will climb higher!

Took a frustrating minute to get the hang of AR...but when I did...wow. Love the ability to zoom in on details. Notice the back cover artwork of Space Oddity. The Pierrot and his mom are there in the lower left corner, and then they resurface in Ashes to Ashes 21 years later. I wonder what that meant to him? A new discovery for me! I wish I could've seen the exhibit. Nothing will replace the reality of all encompassing experience. But this is excellent.

I'm having the same issue as so many others. The app used to work two years ago on an older phone, but no longer does on my Galaxy s22. Holding it over brightly lit surface does nothing. You can't get the app to start properly because it doesn't use the camera properly. I've reached out to support and got no response. Yeah, I'm pissed off.

What's new

Thanks for visiting the show! This update includes:
- Greatly reduced jitter for a smoother viewing experience
- Enhanced versions of several objects
- Small calibration improvements