Sony set to release augmented reality version of record-breaking David Bowie exhibit that will let you 'virtually step into' the late star's world

A 'digital recreation' of the 'David Bowie is' app will let users experience the popular museum exhibit via augmented reality and virtual reality experiences
They can view audio-visual spaces showing off the rock star's life and work
Sony will release the 'David Bowie is Virtual' exhibit this fall in nine languages

Published: 16:32 EDT, 17 July 2018 | Updated: 16:57 EDT, 17 July 2018

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If you missed the 'David Bowie is' exhibit on its world tour, you're in luck.

Sony Music Entertainment, the David Bowie Archive, Planeta and the Victoria and Albert Museum have launched a 'digital recreation' of the exhibit that brings an augmented reality and virtual reality-based experience to your smartphone.

In what the parties describe as a 'first of its kind' experience, they've crafted a series of audio-visual spaces where viewers can witness the work and artifacts of Bowie's life.

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'3D scans will preserve and present his fabulous costumes and treasured objects in meticulous detail,' according to a release on the official David Bowie site.

'The experience may even allow a spectator to virtually step into one of Bowie’s outfits and see themselves in it.'

Sony Music Entertainment will be releasing the 'David Bowie is Virtual' digital exhibit this fall in nine different languages.

It's unclear how much the exhibit will cost, but some of the proceeds from ticket sales will go to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, as well as the Brooklyn Museum.

The 'David Bowie is' exhibit toured across 12 different cities over the past six years, ending its run at New York City's Brooklyn Museum on July 15.

It drew more than 2 million visitors in the 12 cities it visited, the David Bowie site noted.

DAVID BOWIE IS VIRTUAL - PRESS RELEASE - “Welcome to virtual reality...” - After touring the globe for the past six years, the phenomenally successful ‘David Bowie is’ exhibition has come to an end. But the show must go on! This fall, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., in collaboration with the David Bowie Archive, Planeta, and V&A, will release a digital recreation of the exhibition on smartphones as an augmented reality experience. In the spring, a redesigned ‘David Bowie is’ will arrive on all major virtual reality platforms. These new digital versions of ‘David Bowie is’ will add unprecedented depth and intimacy to the exhibition experience, allowing the viewer to engage with the work of one of the world’s most popular and influential artists as never before. The David Bowie Archive will donate a portion of the profits to the V&A and Brooklyn Museum. Go here for the full press release and to sign up for updates: http://smarturl.it/DBisVirtualPR - #DBisVirtual

A post shared by David Bowie (@davidbowie) on Jul 16, 2018 at 9:23am PDT

In what the parties describe as a 'first of its kind' experience, they've crafted a series of audio-visual spaces where viewers can witness the work and artifacts of Bowie's life

The Brooklyn Museum offered an 'Aladdin Sane' ticket - named after the 1973 Bowie album - that cost $2,500 and gave the buyer private access to the exhibit, among other benefits.

'David Bowie is' included over 300 artifacts from David Bowie's archives, from his teenage years to his death in January 2016, according to ABC News.

It included stage costumes, instruments, original set lists, set designs, diary entries and other personal items.

'David Bowie is Virtual' comes after the New York Times launched an augmented reality app based around the rock star's 'visual legacy.'

It projected life-size versions of Bowie's costumes into your surroundings that allowed users to interact with them, by getting up close to see details.

The app is available for both iOS and Android users, supporting ARKit and ARCore.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AR AND VR?

Virtual reality is a computer-generated simulation of an environment or situation

It immerses the user by making them feel like they are in the simulated reality throughimages and sounds

For example, in VR, you could feel like you're climbing a mountain while sat at home

In contrast, augmented reality layers computer-generated images on top of an existing reality

AR is developed into apps to bring digital components into the real world
For example, in the Pokemon Go app, the characters seem to appear in real world scenarios