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 Last night, The Wall Retrospective,
celebrating the upcoming 30th anniversary of the motion picture 'Pink Floyd: The Wall' opened in London. On-set stills photographer David Appleby is honouring the fans of the acclaimed visual rock masterpiece, with this exhibition of stunning behind-the-scenes images taken during the production of 'The Wall'.
Held at Blackall Studios in Shoreditch, London, the exhibition is open to the public from today, through to July 18th, which of course is shortly before the 2012 Olympics hit the capital. On display, there are over 40 traditionally and painstakingly hand-printed black and white silver gelatin prints from the original negatives, by Silverbase of The Photographic Centre which is within the legendary Pinewood Studios - where some of the film was shot. Other images from the film are displayed too.
Brain Damage have been involved since early this year, with help and advice, but the project has been some four years in the making by Tara Renee. The images themselves have been revelations; rare, behind the scenes shots, along with iconic moments from the production but from a unique perspective. Most have never been seen before, having been discovered by Tara lurking in a store room at Pinewood since they were originally shot and developed.
Last night's invitation-only launch event, pictured below, saw an eclectic and interesting mix of people from the worlds of music, film, fashion and photography, come together to celebrate David's work.
The rather wet evening didn't dampen the spirits of those who made their way to Blackall Studios, which also included five pairs of Brain Damage visitors who had won tickets for the event in our recent competition. Other than the pictures on display, one of the highlights of the evening was the auction to raise money for the charity "Medicinema". The headlining lot was a custom built guitar by Fender Master Craftsmen, which had a fascinating brick design. The auction is due to continue, with additional lots becoming available to bid on across the world and as we have more information on this, we will let you know.
Back to the exhibition though. As you'll see from the photos below, the gallery proved a striking place to host the show - the white walls seemed to enhance the images, with an additional area downstairs that included colour shots and posters from the film release.
Some of the pictures are very familiar, with iconic images - but with the care and attention taken with the negatives, these have never looked so crisp and clean. Having said that, big Floyd fans will probably spend more time on the pictures that show unused scenes and sets, and cast and crew hard at work on the production. Personal favourites of those pictures on display include Bob Geldof sitting in the motel set, sticking out of the wall - exactly as Roger has done in the live version of The Wall. Of course, this was never seen in the finished movie, so to see the shot was a real treat. Another favourite of mine shows the camera crew, along with Gerald Scarfe and Alan Parker, at the top of a very unsafe looking scaffold structure filming the school maze scene... Health & Safety clearly wasn't a consideration in those days!
If you are able to make it to London during the course of the next week or so, we urge you to visit the exhibition. If you are travelling to the city, you might want to also pop in and see Storm's latest exhibition, which coincidentally opened yesterday at the gallery@Oxo, which is beside the River Thames.
You can see The Wall Retrospective at Blackall Studios on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th July, between 11am - 6pm, Sunday 15th between 12pm - 5pm, and Monday 16th - Wednesday 18th July between 11am - 6pm. If you are unable to make it to London, you can also see it at the Photographer's Lounge in Swanage, Dorset, between August 3rd and September 2nd. There are hopes to take the exhibition to other parts of the UK, and also further afield, to bring these wonderful pictures to fans across the world. Should it achieve this aim, we will of course let you know...
EXHIBITION CATALOGUE
Our friends at Mind Head Publishing (who were responsible for the excellent books Echoes and Pink Floyd: Backstage, both reviewed on this site) were invited to publish a limited edition album-size souvenir catalogue reproducing 47 of those photographs capturing behind the scenes moments, along with iconic shots from the production, but from a unique perspective. The catalogue arrived, hot off the press, as the exhibition opened, and instantly impressed, with copies being eagerly picked up (and offered to David Appleby for his signature).
It is important to note that the catalogue is an approved publication, published under limited license and will only be available for sale through the Mind Head Publishing website or at the exhibition itself. It will not be available for sale through any other retail outlet, and will be permanently deleted after 12th July 2013. There will be no reprints.
To order your copy, visit the Mind Head Publishing website, at www.mindheadpublishing.co.uk.
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WOW - it's now the 27th YEAR of Brain Damage, your Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, Richard Wright and Roger Waters news resource!
