Heathrow, the Labyrinth, and David Bowie

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Do you remember that 1986 Jim Henson movie Labyrinth? It starred David Bowie, sporting some very eighties hair. That got me thinking about all the incarnations of Bowie’s look(s). And as I was navigating the labyrinthine tunnels between Heathrow’s terminals, which by the way are well signed, if dull on the public art front, I had an idea about relieving that dullness AND celebrating British pop history.

No worries! We can have Bowie guide us through! Nice wax doubles of him reinforcing the signage, pointing us along with the arrows. In Terminal 1, the feminine Bowie of Hunky Dory and The Man Who Sold the World. We zap Terminal 2 with the cartoonish Ziggy StardustAladdin Sane, and Pin-Ups. For Terminal 3, definitely the introspective and brooding Berlin Trilogy–maybe the cover shot of Low. Shall we get a bit mean and dirty with the Diamond Dog and Thin White Duke personae in Terminal 4? Now, for Terminal 5, a nice mature natural Bowie.

mature bowie

A labyrinth, indeed. And of course, he has been so prolific, we’ve had to edit. But Bowie is our man–he can handle any number of Heathrow Terminals. I’m heading back into the labyrinth now to find my gate to Barcelona. I sure wish Bowie wax figures would help guide me there.