9 minute read
The Bob Marley, One Love Experience
By: Hugh Anthony Simmonds
View of Concrete Jungle - Photo courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London, UK Life Size Legend Album—Bob Marley One Love Experience, Toronto, Canada
The Bob Marley One Love Experience
A Tribute to Jamaica’s Legendary Reggae Superstar and Global Music Icon
Bob Marley’s first single Judge Not was recorded and produced in Kingston, Jamaica in 1962, just as Jamaica traded the Union Jack for the pride of its own black, green and gold flag as a newly minted independent nation.
The man, the music, the message, his memory, and his meteoric rise to international stardom is not only legendary but synonymous with his island home of Jamaica celebrating its national Independence.
In recognition of this global music icon and lyrical genius’ Diamond Jubilee, The Bob Marley One Love Experience—a curated montage that exhibits, celebrates, and commemorates the cultural hero and musical icon—made its global debut in London, United Kingdom earlier this year.
On July 1st the exhibition made its North American debut on Turtle Island in Toronto at the Lighthouse Immersive Artspace and I was enthralled to experience this exposé of Bob’s musical canon from ska, rebel rock to reggae, and the collection of never-before-seen memorabilia that pays homage to his venerable legacy, life, philosophy, passions, and family.
The symphonic experience that melded music, memorabilia, photography, art, and visuals about Bob Marley, pulls you into a cerebral, immersive, and eclectic journey that could make you easily fall into the trap of thinking you knew everything about Bob, his life and music.
However, like his first single Judge Not, I let go of what I thought I knew. I allowed the man, the message, the philosopher, poet and prophet—that was a tour de force who transcended
One Love Music Room
musical genres—and the agglomerative collection being exhibited to tell me his story to satisfy my soul.
The gleanings from the curated experience begins with the vibrations of the One Love Music Room. With its metissage (mixture) of giant art installations, the One Love Room is encapsulated by his accolades and achievements.
On display here is one of the world’s largest vinyl records commemorating the Legend album (1984), which was certified platinum more than 15 times over and holds the distinction of best-selling reggae album of all time.
Meandering on the journey takes me into the One Love Forest that reflects the rich tapestry of Nine Mile with sights, sounds and scenes that remind you of Bob’s early years in the idyllic hills of St. Ann, Jamaica. Replicating the feeling of being in the Jamaican countryside, the One Love Forest signifies the natural beauty of Jamaica and the aura of “there’s a natural mystic blowing through the air…” It unveils a visual backdrop of the Marley songbook, the beauty of nature, sounds, scenery, and vibrations that can catapult your consciousness as a connoisseur of his music.
Corey Ross, Producer, Lighthouse Immersive
Soul Shakedown Studio
Soul Shakedown Studio is at the heart of the agglomerative exhibition experience. It entails a silent disco where you get immersed into a live listening experience in Bob Marley’s musical anthology of peace, love, unity and the struggle against oppression. Whether it’s going down memory lane listening to your favourite song, and where his words from Trench Town Rock and Sun Shining comes alive “One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain” and “Make you wanna move your dancing feet now, To the rescue, here I am… Want you to know, y’all, can you understand?”
The immersion enveloped my being. Yeah! It was an evocative and spell bounding moment. Basking in a compilation of his music and tours, my limbs intuitively moved and grooved to the acoustics, words, sounds and rhythms of the reggae dance party booming in my ears as I honoured and rejoiced, delving into Bob Marley’s musical catalogue at the Soul Shakedown Studio.
The visuals on the sojourn take you to The Beautiful Life area that reify the other passions and personal joys for Bob Marley, from football, games…how about pinball machine and jukebox (yes, an actual one!) to family hangouts.
The experience in The Beautiful Life is a fun display of Bob Marley’s passions beyond just music and you get a vivid feeling that captures not only the other side, but also a celebration of his life beyond the studio and the stage.
The words of his global anthem “One love, one heart… Let’s get together and feel alright…” reverberated throughout this segment of the experience as the images were contemplative, joyful, leisurely and playful from the depictions. Amidst the memorabilia and the setting, an authentic feeling settled in that espoused the personal side of Bob Marley, his humility, culture, faith, lived experiences and sense of community in a nuanced way from his humble begin-
Image Seven - Cedella Marley and Saiyan Marley in Concrete Jungle Street Art. Photo courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London, UK
nings to super stardom.
– Bob Marley
Concrete Jungle
The penultimate display on the trod through the curated space was a play on Bob’s song Concrete Jungle, which belies in a contradictory sense The Beautiful Life experience, since the words of the song says:
I said that life (sweet life) Must be somewhere (sweet life) to be found, yeah, yeah (somewhere, somewhere for me) Instead of a concrete jungle (jungle) Where the living is hardest (concrete jungle) Concrete jungle (jungle) Oh man, you’ve got to do your best, yeah (concrete jungle) [Excerpts from Concrete Jungle, Catch a Fire Album, 1973]
The Concrete Jungle Street Art Expo takes you to a mimicked backstage corridor of a Marley concert before entering the streets of Concrete Jungle. I fathom from this experience, the stage or the studio was where Bob did his best…yeah! The street and fan art expo are anchored by original works by world famous Mr. Brainwash, with his mixed media wall-sized representation of the global music icon.
The selected fan artworks from across the globe accentuate the art expo with inspiring art forms. Their rich tapestry and interpretive essence of Bob Marley depict profoundly intuitive artistic and creative perspectives. One can only imagine that the selected fan artwork is testament to the legend, his music and his message, which takes me back to a cathartic and memorable moment in New York City, 2003.
While on the subway from Manhattan to Brooklyn, I vividly recall Bob Marley’s One Love from the Exodus album (1977) on the NYC Transit subway playlist. A little boy, about six years old at the time asked his Dad, “who is that person singing that song?” The father’s response had me tearfully joyful. He said, “that’s Bob Marley, the world’s greatest reggae singer and he is from Jamaica.” That encounter amplified the fan experience and Bob Marley’s legacy through the eyes of his fans who concretized it through their interpretive artistry in Concrete Jungle Street Art Expo.
- Bob Marley
Next Gen Zone
Interestingly, the Next Gen Zone, the ultimate stop on the exhibition trod was a canopy of familial highlights that allowed you to discover and celebrate Bob Marley, as one of the world’s most beloved and unifying musical and cultural figures in this unique exhibition. The man, the music, the message, and legacy were a featured highlight of the Next Gen Zone with the indelible and undeniable work of his wife Rita, his children, and his grandchildren that have spread the message of One Love and continuing Bob’s musical legacy and philanthropy.
The opportunity to leave your own message of peace and love was the embodiment of the One Love Tree as I soaked up the experiences on the trod and introspectively reflected on the experience and Bob’s seismic impact on global culture.
The Next Gen Zone is a fusion of the generational impact of Bob Marley and the embodiment of his legacy—the music and the message. His enduring wealth of music, is embraced by his extended family, bringing their elements of vocals, sounds, ingenious melodies and fusion of reggae and hip-hop, in collaboratively conscious manner to endear this legacy of peace and unity. Through performances and philanthropy, they continue to popularize and legitimize the wealth of music Bob Marley, a global music icon curated over a short lifetime, for generations to come so we can all Wake Up and Live from the Survival album (1979).
“We always wanted to launch a Bob Marley touring exhibit for many years, and we’re thrilled to see it come to life and debut in London, which had a very special place in Daddy’s heart. The experience can be enjoyed by all generations and we look forward to continuing to spread Daddy’s music and message to the globe.”
Cedella Marley
This eponymous exhibition, The Bob Marley One Love Experience, embodied an experience that is second to none and surely can be enjoyed by all generations and audiences who can embrace and epitomize Bob’s message of One Love.
The experience had a multi-sensory appeal and wonderment as his message of peace, love, and unity in the spirit of our rights and freedom that is inherent in his musical catalogue, provokes candor and thought … what is my legacy or how do you start working on what will be your most powerful and important legacy?
The Bob Marley One Love Experience is a celebration and iconography of Bob Marley, the musical genius, the Jamaican reggae superstar, the global music icon and his island home’s natural mystic, the enduring legacy and influence on global culture, humanity and our world.
© Hugh Anthony, PhD. All rights reserved 2022.
