Still Life: Michael Jackson (2012 - 2012) by David LaChapelleMAC-Lima
From art, to dolls, to video games
The King of Pop left a lasting impression on music lovers and dance enthusiasts all over the world, but it wasn't just records he left behind. We take a look at the some of the unusual objects inspired by Michael Jackson.
1.
Still Life: Michael Jackson is an artwork by American photographer David La Chapelle. It shows a model of the singer's face fractured at eye level, with a severed and bandaged forearm, and some cut-off fingers. The haunting photograph is designed to represent the nature of fame, where the reproducibility of an image occurs at the expense and fragility of its subject.
2.
Michael Jackson created this patent for a shoe, along with two other designers. The complex footwear allowed the "wearer to lean forwardly beyond his centre of gravity" and was created so that Jackson could perform one of his signature dance moves on stage. The move, which he performed in the music video for Smooth Criminal, was originally achieved using wires and with these special shoes it could then be recreated without them when he toured.
Patent #5,255,452, submitted by Michael Jackson for “Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion,” October 26, 1993U.S. National Archives
Patent #5,255,452, submitted by Michael Jackson for “Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion,” October 26, 1993U.S. National Archives
Patent #5,255,452, submitted by Michael Jackson for “Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion,” October 26, 1993U.S. National Archives
3.
Speaking of Smooth Criminal, watch the song played in full on a barrel organ. A barrel organ, or roller organ, is a mechicanical musical instrument consisting of bellows and pipes housed in a wooden case that is activated by a person turning a crank. The piece of music is encoded onto paper rolls with different sized holes, making the instrument comparable with a prehistoric computer.
Smooth Criminal M.Jackson à l'orgue de barbarie
4.
This is just one of many dolls and action figures that were made of Micheal Jackson. Now highly coveted collectors items, dolls were made to encapsulate the whole range of Jackson's signature looks: this one in particular from the 1984 Grammy Awards includes his iconic glittery glove.
Doll:Michael Jackson / Superstar of the 80's. (1984) by LjnThe Strong National Museum of Play
5.
Another artwork by David LaChapelle, this series of photographs, all named after Jackson's songs, displays the singer emulating various scenes from Catholic iconography. American Jesus: Archangel Michael: And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer shows him as the Archangel Michael, having just defeated the devil on a sea cliff. In American Jesus: The Beatification: I’ll never let you part for you’re always in my heart he is standing with a blond Madonna, and in American Jesus: Hold me, carry me boldly he is being cradled by Jesus.
The Kingdom Come. Archangel Michael: And No Message Could Have Been any Clearer (2009 - 2009) by David LaChapelleMAC-Lima
The Kingom Come. The Beatification: I’ll Never Let You Part for You're Always in my Heart (2009 - 2009) by David LaChapelleMAC-Lima
The Kingom Come. American Jesus: Hold me, Carry Me Boldly (2009 - 2009) by David LaChapelleMAC-Lima
6.
Micheal Jackson's Moonwalker was a series of video games based on his 1998 film Moonwalker. The game loosely follows the story of the film, with Micheal Jackson rescuing kidnapped children from the evil Mr Big. The standard attack function of Jackson's game character was a stylized high kick, similar to the one that can be seen in his dance routines, and he could also throw his fedora in a boomerang fashion to destroy his enemies. In some levels Jackson was temporarily transformed into a cyborg, and even into a space ship in the final level.
Video game:Sega Genesis Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (1990)The Strong National Museum of Play
7.
In 1984 Andy Warhol created a portrait of Jackson for the cover of Time Magazine depicting the singer in his red leather jacket from the Thriller video. The two met in New York in 1977 and formed a friendship, with Warhol photographing the singer many times.
Time Covers -The 80S (1984-03-19)LIFE Photo Collection
8.
Hoping to capatalize on the astounding success of Micheal Jackson, the Ertl Company created a portable record player emblazoned with his face. The record player was designed to fit inside children's bags and was created to supply the demand for anything associated with Jackson after his 1979 album Off the Wall, which sold 15 million copies and generated a then-unprecedented four #1 singles, launched him into the stratosphere of popular music
Phonograph:Vanity Fair Phonograph:Vanity Fair (ca. 1980) by ErtlThe Strong National Museum of Play
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