Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard A Rock 'n' Roll Suicide
Performance 1998
In 1998 Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard orchestrated a re-enactment of David Bowie's final performance as Ziggy Stardust. Staged at the ICA, London, on July 2nd and 3rd 1998 - exactly 25 years to the day from Bowie's 'farewell' performance as Ziggy - the British art duo pieced together the entire performance from documentary footage, first-hand accounts and bootlegged fan videos. Bowie was played by an actor sourced from several weeks of auditions, and backed by a band of accomplished musicians. Over the course of 2 hours he recreated the entire show move-for-move. More than a simple act of nostalgic recreation, the piece engages with the contemporary fixation for looking backward and really explores the notion of performance/audience relationship; a recurring theme in the artists' work.
