from ibiza to the norfolk broads

When I was shooting Bowie's eyes from a screen yesterday, at the V&a show 'David Bowie is', I kept thinking, where have I seen this before? And then I remembered.. a flight to Miami, I was watching the brilliant film, 'I am Love', with Tilda Swinton, and I had shot her eyes. On the plane, with my little phone camera. I kept starting and stopping the film, to get this image - almost as tricky as catching the right shot from the front row - not the end, but the side view - at catwalk shows. (Okay, yes, granted, it was a long flight). But still.

At the time, I didn't know that Bowie would be collaborating with Tilda for his video, the Stars are Out Tonight, because he hadn't made it yet. (I've got another shot in this post, a few actually, of Tilda from I am Love. It's a great film - set in Milan - I loved it.)

I didn't even think so much that he reminded me of Tilda Swinton at the time. He's always reminded me of my Soviet Georgian boyfriend, Victor, who was 23 when I was 33, who looked - uncannily, naturally, bizarrely - like David Bowie in the Man Who Fell to Earth. Which I also captured, in a room at the exhibition yesterday, where you can sit on benches and see clips from various films he was in.




But I can't describe the exhibit without the music. So here, for your listening pleasure, the song that went with the video with the eyes, Life on Mars. All these years, I've been happily singing along, thinking the line was 'run my people to the North Abroads'. Hence the title: the real line. But I bet you, in the shower, I'll stick with my version.

My friend JJ said she heard Tilda was at the event yesterday, dressed as Bowie. If so, I didn't see her. But it was rather crowded.

What would be brilliant would be - and I'm half expecting to hear this - that it turns out, Bowie WAS there. But he was disguised as just, you know, a normal Human Being.