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Headline: Brixton David Bowie Memorial Sculpture Announced

Caption: A spectacular, gravity-defying structure is to be built as a memorial to David Bowie in his birthplace, Brixton. The announcement was made today (Feb 21) at the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank Centre in Lambeth, where Bowie performed on five occasions and curated the 2002 Meltdown Festival. Three storeys (9m) tall, the structure turns the iconic make-up flash from the album cover of 1973’s Aladdin Sane into a giant three-dimensional metal sculpture. The plans have been developed by the artist, This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll, in consultation with David Bowie’s team in New York and London and have the support of Lambeth Council. The memorial will be sited in central Brixton, in Tunstall Road, directly opposite Brixton Underground station, and next to the existing David Bowie mural which has become a focal point for tributes since the artist’s death in 2016. The project is being crowdfunded at http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/bowie to raise the £1 million needed to make this ambitious and long-developed vision a reality. A London artist is among those spearheading the campaign to build the impressive memorial. Daniel Fisher has created stunning artworks that will be sold as part of the crowdfunding campaign. Daniel, who also co-owns a Clerkenwell hairdressers, has created a large portrait of Bowie entitled "Dollar days, Brixton nights"using Brixton Pounds; a quirky local currency use by independent local shops and traders. The 39-year-old has also used his illustration skills to add whimsical drawings and vibrant colours over four archive pictures of the singer performing on the Ziggy Stardust tour (1973), Serious Moonlight tour (1983) and 2002's Munich tour. It is hoped the portrait can be auctioned and limited edition prints of the archive pictures sold to help raise funds for the Brixton sculpture. Speakers at the launch event today include Binki Taylor, Chair of the Brixton Pound, and the artist, Charlie Waterhouse of This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll, together with Zac Monro of Channel 4’s Grand Designs and project manager Tomas Carter. Binki Taylor, Chair of the Brixton Pound, said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment. There has been a huge amount of work going into this behind the scenes, and we are delighted to have developed the plans in consultation with David Bowie’s team in London and New York. It’s a spectacular and very fitting tribute, in Brixton where the star was born.” Charlie Waterhouse, of This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll, said: “It’s a monument that’s at once baffling yet immediately familiar – a reminder that there’s always another narrative. Startling, stupid and utterly joyous in equal measure this is a piece of public art that the whole community can be proud of. It’s totally Brixton, utterly Bowie. Where the Man Who Fell to Earth fell to earth, a heartfelt tribute, from one London character to another.” Cllr Lib Peck, Lambeth Council leader, said: “Brixton has become central to David Bowie’s huge legacy, so what better place for this stunning and imaginative memorial to this locally born legend. This is a bold and ambitious proposal, and I’d encourage his fans to really get behind the scheme by supporting this crowd funding push.” PICTURE SHOWS: Artist concept of the David Bowie sculpture in Brixton

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