In 2013 Keith Sparrow, artist, singer, theatre director, and actor set about creating a stage show based on David Bowie’s Beckenham Arts Lab events from the 1960’s.

The ‘Bowie Lounge’ was first performed at the Falmouth Polytechnic  Theatre.

The format included music, dance, poetry readings, photographic projections, and live painting by Paul Wadsworth.   

The first event was a critical success and further variations of the show were presented around Cornwall over the following years, developing an envious reputation and a passionate following.    

  In 2016, following Bowie’s death,  Keith decided to combine the show with an exhibition of Bowie related artwork by artist friends of the Bowie Lounge, and this was installed at the ‘Old Bakery’ in Truro, a near derelict space, which was being developed by Cath King as an arts venue.    

 
I was one of the invited artists and I installed a 2 x 2m painting based on a screen shot of a Bowie video.

I also made a video which I projected onto the painting. The start of this video contained the sound of an 18th century long case clock ticking fading into an unedited version of Bowie’s Lazarus  video. As the video faded out the clock ticking returned.

The exhibition and show received excellent reviews including:

“A strange and wonderful experience, The Bowie Lounge blends music, painting, theatre and dance to create something which is joyful, melancholic and really rather moving. I absolutely loved it.” – Mark Kermode (Film Critic)

“What an extraordinary experience…visually and sonically overpowering and completely unique…still not really sure what I experienced but it and everyone involved was utterly brilliant.” – Mark Jenkin (Film-maker: Bait, Enys Men)  

Following the exhibition, the founder of the Old Bakery, Cath King, asked me if I would install the painting in the Old Bakery for permanent display.

Seven years later, In 2023, Keith Sparrow photographed himself with the painting, commenting:

“Good to see this wonderful work by Ron Ford again in the Old Bakery. Painted as part of our week long exhibition of Bowie inspired art in 2016. ‘Art Decade’ culminated with a reworked Bowie Lounge performance which acted as a requiem to the recently departed Bowie”

Thanks Keith the pleasure was all mine.