Ever the extraordinary innovator, it seems David Bowie’s uncanny ability to revolutionize the way we see music and art extends even into the afterlife.
David Bowie’s final album ? (pronounced “Blackstar”), called his “parting gift” to fans by Bowie’s long-time producer Tony Visconti, is being made into a four-minute miniseries. It will be made up of 16 15-second videos, the first of which will debut on the Instagram channel InstaMiniSeries on February 25 at 8 p.m. ET, reports Radio Times . The miniseries is called Unbound and is being described as a “visual interpretation” of the songs on Bowie’s final album.
According to an Instagram post by InstaMiniSeries , David Bowie gave Carolynn Cecilia and Nikki Borges exclusive access to ? last fall in order to create their innovative miniseries “with no limits or preconditions on [Bowie’s] part.”
“In the Fall of 2015, David Bowie gave us unique pre-release access to the music from ? (pronounced ‘Blackstar’), his 28th studio album, allowing us to create our own visual interpretations of his songs, with no limits or preconditions on his part.”
The miniseries based on David Bowie’s last album was finished in December of 2015, and it promises to “take the audience on a journey of evocative images” that were inspired by the mood and atmosphere created by the music, themes, artwork, and lyrics found in final record.
Unbound features Rookie Magazine founder Tavi Gevinson and American actress Patricia Clarkson. It was written by Cecilia and directed by Borges. The first episode of this episodic tribute to Bowie will air on Thursday night, and each of the 15 subsequent episodes will air at the same time on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
David Bowie released ? on January 8, his 69th birthday, and just two days before he passed away. It was Bowie’s 25th studio album and received rave reviews — some of the best reviews David Bowie has received throughout his long career, in fact — and was number one in 20 countries following its release, including America. The video, the last one Bowie would ever give us, has been viewed more than 32 million times already.
David Bowie-Approved ‘Blackstar’ Instagram Series Sets Premiere Date https://t.co/RtRXXfSYpw via @rollingstone ?? pic.twitter.com/KGPeMqIrjR
— Lauren Koslow (@laurenkoslow) February 22, 2016
The king of reinvention, it’s no wonder David Bowie left us — and the music industry as a whole — the same way he came into it: blazing trails for those that would come after him. According to Deadline , Cecilia echoed these sentiments in an interview .
“David Bowie was a trailblazer, not just in the world of music, but in the art of storytelling. Whether through lyrics, melodies, film, theater or mythical persona he never fails to transcend what was and set the tone — and the bar — for what can be.”
Borges calls Bowie honest and passionate, and credits his influence — not just his music — as her reasoning behind making Unbound .
“David Bowie has always been about reinvention over repetition. Remarkably honest and passionate in his work, his innovations have influenced our own work as we transform a social media platform into a creative outlet.”
When David Bowie left this world on January 10, 2016, his death sent the music industry and his legions of fans into a tailspin. The Starman was not supposed to die. He was an infinite and immortal being in our hearts. Tributes to Bowie have poured in from fans and music legends alike, and though it’s been over a month since his death, they still keep coming. It’s unsure right now what kind of impact a 16-episode miniseries of 15-second episodes can have on the millions of fans worldwide who are still mourning David Bowie’s death, but at the very least, it can be counted as one more tribute to Bowie that we will watch, and covet, even if for only 15 seconds, as it brings us close to him once more.
[Photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images]