BowieArt: I want to sound like that looks

Coley, Sam (2026) BowieArt: I want to sound like that looks. Riffs - Experimental Writing on Popular Music, 9 (1). pp. 70-79. ISSN 2513-8537

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Abstract

This article examines David Bowie's enduring relationship with visual art, arguing that although he never formally attended art school, he adopted and adapted many of the philosophies associated with British post-war art education. Through friendships, artistic collaborations, extensive reading, and a lifelong engagement with painting, design, and performance, Bowie developed an interdisciplinary creative practice that blurred the boundaries between music, visual art, theatre, and popular culture. His work consistently engaged with ideas central to art-school discourse, including experimentation, identity, authenticity, appropriation, and the relationship between art and commerce.

Accompanying the article is a curated ten-track Spotify playlist that serves as a companion resource, illustrating the key themes and case studies discussed in the text. Each track is paired with its parent album and situated within the broader artistic contexts that informed its creation, tracing Bowie's dialogue with movements such as Expressionism, Surrealism, Dada, Conceptual Art, and Postmodernism, alongside collaborations with leading artists and designers. The playlist offers an accessible, multimedia route through Bowie's artistic development, demonstrating how visual culture shaped his musical practice and how his work, in turn, contributed to wider conversations about art and popular culture.

Item Type:	Article
Dates:	Date Event 1 February 2026 Accepted 13 February 2026 Published Online
Subjects:	CAH24 - media, journalism and communications > CAH24-01 - media, journalism and communications > CAH24-01-05 - media studies
Divisions:	Arts > English and Media > Media
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	24 Jul 2026 15:44
Last Modified:	24 Jul 2026 15:44
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17128

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