MOMA: THURSTON MOORE OF SONIC YOUTH INTRODUCES A PROGRAM OF DAVID BOWIE’S GROUNDBREAKING MUSIC VIDEOS ON DECEMBER 1, 2008

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MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

THURSTON MOORE OF SONIC YOUTH INTRODUCES A PROGRAM OF DAVID BOWIE’S GROUNDBREAKING MUSIC VIDEOS ON DECEMBER 1, 2008

Event Is Part of The Museum of Modern Art’s Modern Monday Series

New York, October 17, 2008—On Monday, December 1, 2008, at 7:00 p.m., MoMA will host a film program of David Bowie’s music videos, co-organized by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth and Barbara London, Associate Curator, Department of Media, The Museum of Modern Art. The event will take place in The Roy and Niuta Titus 1 Theater, as part of the Modern Monday series, which presents works by contemporary filmmakers and multimedia artists.

In 2008, MoMA received the complete works of David Bowie’s music videos, as a gift from the David Bowie Archive. From this collection, Thurston Moore and Barbara London have selected 15 videos to be shown at the screening. The program will include such Bowie classics as Life on Mars (directed by Mick Rock), Heroes (directed by Stanley Dorfman), and Ashes to Ashes (directed by David Mallet & David Bowie), among other videos.

The video program is a part of MoMA’s gallery and film exhibition Looking at Music, on view through January 5, 2009. Organized by Ms. London, the exhibition examines music’s role in cross-disciplinary experimentation across media for a generation of artists, beginning in the 1960s.

Since 1985 the Museum has made a commitment to exhibiting and collecting music videos. In 2003, MoMA presented Golden Oldies of Music Videos, a series of screenings of the music industry’s most pivotal videos from MoMA’s collection, introduced by Laurie Anderson, Kim Gordon, and Pipilotti Rist.

About the Artists

David Bowie began playing the saxophone when he was 13 years old. After graduating from a technical high school with a strong art department, he worked as a commercial artist before studying mime and, later, playing in bands. In 1969 he co-founded Beckenham Arts Lab in South London, England, a crucible for experimentation that hosted artist studios, poetry readings, and events such as light shows, theatrical and dance performances, and puppet shows. Active in five decades of rock music, Bowie has 29 studio albums to date. Additionally, he has worked in film, Broadway, and experimented with multi-media over the last 40 years.

Best known as a founding member of the New York rock band Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore has been active in New York’s music scene since moving to the city in 1977. He has a long history of collaborating with other artists, including no-wave musician Lydia Lunch, Jim O’Rourke, and Merce Cunningham’s Dance Company, among others; he has also scored music for film and was music consultant for Gus Van Sant’s Last Days. Since 1983, he has been involved with fanzine and journal publishing, and recently co-authored No Wave: Post-Punk. Underground. New York. 1976-1980 (HNA Books). In 2005, he co-founded Ecstatic Peace! Records with business partner Andrew Kesin.

Modern Mondays

Modern Mondays, The Museum of Modern Art’s Monday night screening series of new works by contemporary filmmakers and multimedia artists, is in its second year, and features engaging and thought-provoking programming by a diverse selection of cutting-edge international artists. Launched in 2007 as a way for audiences to have opportunities to interact directly with directors and artists, Modern Mondays’ presentations feature screenings by established and emerging filmmakers followed by dialogue and discussion with the audience.

Modern Mondays is an interdepartmental program organized by MoMA’s Department of Film and Department of Media: Sally Berger, Assistant Curator; Jytte Jensen, Curator; Laurence Kardish, Senior Curator; Rajendra Roy, Celeste Bartos Chief Curator; and Joshua Siegel, Associate Curator, all of the Department of Film; and Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator; and Barbara London, Associate Curator, in the Department of Media.

Modern Mondays is made possible by Anna Marie and Robert F. Shapiro. Additional support is provided by The Contemporary Arts Council of The Museum of Modern Art.

TICKETS:

Advanced tickets will be available at the Museum’s Lobby Information Desk and online at www.moma.org, beginning November 1, 2008.
A limited number of tickets will be available on the day of the event beginning at 1:00 p.m. at the Museum's Lobby Information Desk.
Ticket Admission prices: Adults $10; MoMA Members $8, Seniors (65 and above) $5; Students (with valid I.D.) $5.

PRESS CONTACT:
Members of the press should request access to cover the event. For further information contact Paul Jackson, 212/708-9593 or paul_jackson@moma.org.

Public Information:
The Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019
Hours: Wednesday through Monday: 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday: 10:30 a.m.-8:00 p.m.
Closed Tuesday.
The public may call 212/708-9400 for detailed Museum information. Visit us on the Web at www.moma.org.

Monday, December 1, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
David Bowie Music Videos, Introduced by Thurston Moore

John I’m Only Dancing. (1972). Directed by Mick Rock. 2:49 min.

Jean Genie. (1972). Directed by Mick Rock. 4:02 min.

Life on Mars. (1973). Directed by Mick Rock. 3:55 min.

Heroes. (1977). Directed by Stanley Dorfman. 3:27 min.

DJ. (1979). Directed by David Mallet. 3:58 min.

Ashes to Ashes. (1980). Directed by David Mallet & David Bowie. 3:33 min.

China Girl. (1983). Directed by David Mallet & David Bowie. 4:03 min.

Blue Jean. (1984). Directed by Julien Temple. 3:17 min.

As the World Falls Down. (1986). Directed by Steve Barron. 3:41 min.

Fame 90. (1990). Directed by Gus Van Sant. Edited by Edouard Lock. 3:33 min.

Jump They Say. (1993). Directed by Mark Romanek. 4:00 min.

The Hearts Filthy Lesson. (1995). Directed by Sam Bayer. 4:58 min.

Dead Man Walking. (1997). Directed by Floria Sigismondi. 3:49 min.

I’m Afraid of Americans. (1997). Directed by Dom & Nic. 4:25 min.

Survive. (1999). Directed and produced by Walter Stern. 3:29 min.

No. 114

Press Release Date:
Fri, 2008-10-17 09:00

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Press Release Teaser:
THURSTON MOORE OF SONIC YOUTH INTRODUCES A PROGRAM OF DAVID BOWIE’S GROUNDBREAKING MUSIC VIDEOS ON DECEMBER 1, 2008. Event Is Part of The Museum of Modern Art’s Modern Monday Series