Their Mortal Remains at the V&A. Image courtesy Smash.com
Pink Floyd exhibition Their Mortal Remains proved that the band’s popularity hasn’t waned one bit over the years. The sellout show launched at London’s V&A in May 2017 and saw around 10,000 visitors a week pouring through its doors to see the exhibits.
It was so popular the museum extended the run for two weeks and it has become the most popular show in the museum’s history, with over 400,000 people attending, outdoing even the beloved David Bowie exhibition from 2013 which welcomed 312,000 overall.
One of the band's earliest photo shoots taken in June 1967 using the lighting they used in their early London gigs. © Andrew Whittuck
So it’s no surprise to find out that the blockbuster showboat of the band’s most iconic music, performances, stage props, album artwork and recording processes is now on tour. On Friday (19 January) Their Mortal Remains opens in Rome, allowing visitors to the city’s Museo d'Arte Contemporanea (MACRO) to experience the multi-sensory journey of the band’s birth in the psychedelic scenes of 1960s London, to the audiovisual assault of their A Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour and their 15th, and possibly last, studio album, The Endless River released in 2014.
!["The idea of beds for the Momentary Lapse cover came from a line of lyric - ‘Visions of an empty bed’ (Yet Another Movie) " notes designer Storm Thorgerson. © Storm Thorgerson](/media/2807/pink-floyd-their-mortal-remains-08.jpg?width=1200&height=0&upscale=false&slimmage=true¢er=0.5,0.5&mode=crop ""The idea of beds for the Momentary Lapse cover came from a line of lyric - ‘Visions of an empty bed’ (Yet Another Movie) " notes designer Storm Thorgerson. © Storm Thorgerson")
"The idea of beds for the Momentary Lapse cover came from a line of lyric - ‘Visions of an empty bed’ (Yet Another Movie) " notes designer Storm Thorgerson. © Storm Thorgerson
It flows chronologically and at the end visitors can enjoy the band’s Live 8 performance of “Comfortably Numb” as a 3D audio room-sized experience. And, exclusive to Rome, visitors will also get to see a video of “One Of These Days” which comes from the group’s celebrated performance in the amphitheatre of Pompeii which was recorded in 1971.
David Gilmour’s superb guitar solo during ’Comfortably Numb’. This was shot during Pink Floyd's The Wall Tour in New York in February 1980. © Jill Furmanovsky
Highlights of the show are too numerous to list, but include rooms dedicated to the late great Syd Barrett, flyers from their underground gigs at London’s UFO and Roundhouse clubs, giant stage props from their The Wall tour, music video props, the band’s instruments, sketches and design notes from their lifelong visual collaborators Hipgnosis—founded by Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell.
Which includes a whole room elaborating on the band’s classic album and artwork of Wish You Were Here—a self-reflective melancholy album about absence, fame and the music biz—including details on how they shot the famous cover, which showed two businessmen shaking hands, one of them on fire.
PinK Floyd in the Abbey Road studios during the recording of 'Wish You Were Here'. © Jill Furmanovsky
Where the exhibition is being shown, the Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, is also not far, less than a mile, from where Pink Floyd played their first gig in Italy, in Rome’s The Piper Club back in 1968.
On Tuesday (16 January) Roger Waters and Nick Mason turned up, along with Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi, in Italy’s capital to showcase the opening. Mason has been heavily involved with the show and, along with Hipgnosis and production designers Stufish, acted as consultant for the V&A exhibition. Waters, conversely, hasn’t been as involved and only saw the show for the first time on Monday in Rome. But he was still thrilled with it.
Roger Waters and Nick Mason on a train to Edinburgh during the 'Dark Side of the Moon' tour in 1974. © Jill Furmanovsky
"Going through this exhibition and thinking about it yesterday, certainly the bits of it that I was involved with, which is the 70s, the work was consumed with asking questions about whether we can find within ourselves the capacity to make any sense at all of life on earth and our potential or lack of it to empathise with one another and so on and so forth.” Waters said. “So it was a very emotional and political journey through a short period of my life."
Pink Floyd Their Mortal Remains runs in Rome from 19 January to 1 July 2018. You can find out more here. And check out a video showcasing the exhibition, below.
Rockarchive is delighted to be able to offer these and many more iconic Pink Floyd images as limited edition photographic prints which you can buy here.
A unique collection of images of Pink Floyd, one of the worlds most successful and influential rock bands.
The idea of beds for the Momentary Lapse cover came from a line of lyric - ‘Visions of an empty bed’ (Yet Another Movie)
This was taken on the Division Bell Tour. The sound and lighting people in their headsets look like the crew of a space ship.
Roger Waters eating a fairy cake in Abbey Road Studios, 1975, during the making of 'Wish You Were Here'
Version of the Interstellar poster art devised for the 2003 Pink Floyd exhibition in Paris
Roger and Nick on a train to Edinburgh, Dark Side of The Moon tour 1974. The band preferred to travel by train rather than bus or plane.
Cover art for the live single of Wish You Were Here. 'What you see is what you get - two lost souls, swimming in a fish bowl'
This stark image was a poster designed to promote the Pink Floyd exhibition, Interstellar, at the Paris Cité De La Musique in October 2003.
This is what The Wall looked like during an interval of the The Wall Tour at the The Coliseum in Uniondale, Nassau County, New York.
David Gilmour Dark Side Of The Moon tour 1974. Those Guinness t-shirts were popular on that tour. Roger had one too.
The design team Hipgnosis, had two main players - Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell. Po pictured here with David Gilmour and Roger Waters
Nick Mason, David Gilmour & Roger Waters during a sound-check for the Dark Side of the Moon UK tour.
Dick Parry has played some of the most unforgettable and sublime saxophone solos in the history of rock music - mostly with Pink Floyd.
Two consecutive frames joined together from a shoot of The Wall tour in New York in 1980
David Gilmour’s superb guitar solo during ’Comfortably Numb’ on PinK Floyd's The Wall Tour
Alternative version of the image designed to advertise the Pink Floyd back catalogue in 1997 designed by Storm Thorgerson
Jill Furmanovsky was the official photographer on the Dark Side of the Moon/Wish You Were Here UK tour, taking pictures over c.5 weeks
Storm Thorgerson with Dave Gilmour whilst rehearsing during the Dark Side of the Moon UK Tour.
A rare band shot from this period taken by a young Jill Furmanovksy at the start of her photography career
Photographed as a homage to the Pink Floyd album sleeve 'Animals' for the BBC series 'Britain In Pictures'.
Alternative version of Interstellar poster artwork created for the 2003 Pink Floyd exhibition in Paris
Pink Floyd onstage during their UK Dark Side of the Moon Tour in 1974
Nick Mason shot on one of the earliest Pink Floyd photo shoots in June 1967
Pink Floyd's 'Chip Off The Old Block' artwork designed by Storm Thorgerson: the block represents vinyl singles
Artwork for Pink Floyd's Pulse DVD released in 2006 and designed by Storm Thorgerson
Artwork designed by Storm Thorgerson for the Pink Floyd 30th Anniversary campaign
For their first photo shoot, Colin Prime took the band down to Ruskin park. All the guys were in high spirits at the time
Pink Floyd in Abbey Road making a new album that became 'Wish You Were Here'. Jill Furmanovsky was asked to drop in and shoot some stills
Syd Barrett captured on one of Pink Floyd's earliest photoshoots in June 1967
Rick Wright captured under the band's psychedelic lights early in their career
Relaxing backstage at Abbey Road Studios during the recording of debut album 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'
One of earliest Pink Floyd photo shoots. Rick Wright is enhanced by special psychedelic lighting effects.
Syd Barrett captured in a candid moment at Abbey Road Studios whilst rehearsing for the recording of 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn'
Syd Barrett on an early photo shoot in London, not long before recording Pink Floyd's debut album
Candid image of Roger Waters at Abbey Road Studios whilst Pink Floyd finished off recording their debut album
Alternative version of the album cover for Division Bell, subtly different from the iconic original
Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters & Richard Wright on their first ever photo shoot in Ruskin Park, London
The original Pink Floyd line-up on their first ever photo shoot in Kennington Park, London
Alternative version of the cover artwork for Pink Floyd's 1994 album 'Division Bell' designed by Storm Thorgerson
Variant of the album cover for Division Bell using alternative Stone Heads
Inner sleeve artwork for Pink Floyd's album Wish You Were Here by Storm Thorgerson
This was the first time Tony Collins ever saw Pink Floyd live. They played numbers from their new album 'Atom Heart Mother'.
David Gilmour taking a quiet moment backstage, during the Dark Side of the Moon tour 1974.
1967 Syd Barrett performs during an early photo session prior to the release of Pink Floyd's debut album
One of Pink Floyd's earliest photo shoots taken in June 1967 using the lighting they used in their gigs
This was Pink Floyd’s first official photo shoot. Although a photographer by trade, Colin Prime’s other love was music
Pink Floyd at the mixing desk whilst recording their debut album 'The Piper at the Gates of Dawn' in Abbey Road Studios
Roger Water pictured at one of the first Pink Floyd photo shoots
Taken on the band's first photo shoot in Ruskin Park, London in April 1967
Roger Waters, Roy Harper and Roy's son listen to a playback at Abbey Road Studios. Roy was guest vocalist on Have a Cigar.
David Gilmour playing backgammon (with Storm and Rick Wright) in his hotel room during the Dark Side of the Moon tour 1974.
David Gilmour in Studio 3, at Abbey Road Studios. The band were recording Have a Cigar that day for their new album Wish You Were Here .
Syd Barrett was a founder member of Pink Floyd and was the lead singer, guitarist and principle songwriter in the band's early years
Syd Barret photographed by Mick Rock at his flat in Earls Court, London in 1969.
Taken by Mick Rock during the album cover shoot for Syd Barrett's debut solo album 'The Madcap Laughs'.
Taken in Syd Barrett's flat in Earls Court, London during the photo shoot for his debut album 'The Madcap Laughs'
Iconic Mick photograph of Syd Barrett posing outside his London flat on a Pontiac Parisienne in 1969
Syd Barrett 'in decision' captured by Mick Rock in London in 1969 , a year after he left Pink Floyd
Syd Barrett and 'Iggy the Eskimo' sitting on the pavement outside Syd's flat in Earls Court in 1969
Storm Thorgerson was an acclaimed music album designer known for his iconic work for Pink Floyd and many more bands
Rockarchive founder, Jill Furmanovsky is a British photographer who has documented iconic rock musicians and bands from Pink Floyd to Oasis.
Andrew Whittuck began his photography career in the mid-sixties where he soon took some of the earliest shots of Pink Floyd.
Opening at London’s V&A Museum this weekend is 'Their Mortal Remains', a celebration of the music, visuals, and influence of Pink Floyd.
Rock critic and journalist Bill Wyman has ranked every single Pink Floyd song, all 165 of them, from worst to best.
In 1975 Pink Floyd walked into Abbey Road & began work on their 9th album, It was a difficult time, but it got made & the rest is history.
Pink Floyd's widely acclaimed concept album 'Animals' has just turned 40. We wanted to share Jill Furmanovsky's homage to the album cover.
It's less than two months to go now until the first ever major international retrospective of Pink Floyd opens at the V&A.
50 years ago in London's Ruskin Park photographer Colin Prime took Pink Floyd for their first official photoshoot.
