Crowned the King of Pop by his best friend Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson has achieved and surpassed the accomplishments of those who inspired him, those who came before him. Inspired by James Brown, Bill Bailey, Fred Astaire, and the Nicholas Brothers, Michael moulded their dance moves and made them his own. He combined his natural elements of song and dance to propel himself into superstardom. Along his way to the top he collected many awards documenting his prowess in entertainment, some of which can be found at the Michael Jackson Exhibition at the O2 Arena. Among the awards, include gold and platinum albums, the first platinum album awarded in 1969 when he was eleven.
The Exhibition chronicles the short life of the star. After experiencing a taste of Michael Jackson in concert on a large video screen, the exhibition starts with the contract his father signed with the William Morris Agency establishing his sons as a pop group. It continues with personal items from Michael’s life, including the Neverland Arch that led to the entrance of this former home in California. You can see cracked and chipped paint in his blue 1967 Rolls Royce Phantom that he took Elizabeth for rides in.
Props from his many cinematic music videos included the green rocket ship from “Leave me Alone,” the sleek black Gibson guitar used in the video “Scream” where he sang and danced along side his sister Janet, his Egyptian costume from his 1993 hit “Remember the Time” and the robot mask with protruding pieces from his film “Moonwalker.”
It’s widely known that Michael lived a life of extravagance. He lived like a king. His wardrobe, also featured at the exhibition,was often composed of elaborate ensembles with arm bands in the colours of royalty, accented with metals or insignias that hung from his chest like a decorated soldier. They were designed with the purpose of presenting Michael as a king. His collection often mimicked the uniforms of the royal guards of Her Majesty the Queen of England as well as the military uniforms of other countries. There are other times where his style was more futuristic, and can be described as experimental. Those were usually seen in costume at his many elaborate concerts.
Towards the end of the exhibition, props and clothing that were to be used at his final series of performances, This is It, were creatively placed in two sizeable rooms. In one room, the view of Michael’s massive and elaborate revision of the Thriller dance sequence brings back memories of his original music video. In the next area, a more modest room featured the costumes he would have changed into during his last performances, which included various versions of his trademark penny-loafers. Across from the costumes in a corner was a small thermos rotating inside of a glass case. The sign underneath stated that Michael’s children would pack his lunch inside of the thermos every day for him to take with him to rehearsals.
In the final room, a set of books with white pages were left for fans to leave their message for his family. Further along around a corner, a light shined on a solid square black pillar with a glass case on top. Inside the glass case was “the glove.” There were other versions of it that Michael wore, even in different colours to match his outfit, but this was the trademark white glove that he wore when he first danced across the stage giving us the first glimpse of the moonwalk, a move we would see many times over and never get tired of seeing.
Adjacent to the black pillar was a quote in white printed against a black wall. The quote from Michael reflects his view on life which can be interpreted as an optimistic commentary on his own.
“If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with.” – Michael Jackson (1958 -2009)
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