Five years after the passing of Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey "Po" Powell was approached by a gallery with a wish to stage an exhibition of the work of Hipgnosis. Po agree after some initial hesitation, and the result - "Hipgnosis. Daring to Dream" - which celebrates 50 years of their design work, is currently touring Germany. Back in September it was held in Berlin; it is now (until February 24th, 2019) at the Kunsthalle Lüneburg.

UPDATE: From March 16th - April 30th, it can be found at the Küstenmuseum Wilhelmshaven. With nearly 100 pieces, definitely worth a visit. It's open each week Tuesday through to Sunday, 11am - 5pm. Our thanks to Michael Diers for this information!

Our thanks to Michael Nickel for his help in bringing the following information and translation of the exhibition synopsis to you:

The revolution of the cover design:
The British graphics agency Hipgnosis created record covers in the 1970s that became museum masterpieces. From 19th January to 24th February 2019, the Kunsthalle Lüneburg will be showing a selection of the most important record covers in the history of music by the legendary graphics studio of Aubrey Powell in large screen prints as well as numerous photographs by the founder of Hipgnosis.

1968 is considered the core year of the cultural revolution. It is also the year of birth of Hipgnosis, the legendary British photo design studio founded by Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson.

Powell and Thorgerson worked together for fifteen years (1968-1983) under the umbrella of Hipgnosis. At this time, they designed more than 350 record covers, including some of the most famous in music history: The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Houses of the Holy, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway and Scratch.

With creative, often surreal visual concepts, subversive humour and radically innovative photo design approaches, Powell and Thorgerson created a whole new way of album cover design. Instead of classical musician portrait photos, their complex photographic compositions creatively leaned creatively on the musical ideas contained in the case. Or they were pursuing an entirely independent image idea that would cause a stir and make the album known - like the cover to Atom Heart Mother showing only a cow in a pasture. These works, described by Powell and Thorgerson as anti-cover, did not refer to the bands or the content of the music. In part, the covers were proposed to several bands at the same time, which Robert Plant took with humour: "What a bunch of daring gamblers you are."

Powell and Thorgerson had both studied photography and film at art colleges, revered Duchamps, Magritte, Man Ray, and Dali. Their surreal pictorial concepts and often epic photo landscapes testify to these elective affinities. With their uncompromising visionary ideas, they turned album cover design into popular art that outlasted time, inspired millions of people worldwide, and influenced generations of photo designers in their work.

The exhibition shows a selection of the most famous Hipgnosis album covers in large screen prints that were previously shown in Berlin and San Francisco. There's also a series of black and white shots of Syd Barrett, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Foreigner and Paul McCartney.

German television station NDR did a short piece on the exhibition, which can be viewed through this direct link. Po is interviewed, although much of his conversation is obscured with a German translation, rather than subtitles.

There's also the following piece, which concentrates on an introduction by Po to their work, conducted during the Berlin staging toward the end of last year:

Following on from yesterday's news that David Gilmour is auctioning off over 120 of his guitars at Christie's, New York, to raise money for charitable causes, he has been talking about the reasons behind his decision, and about the significance of the instruments.

First, he has been speaking to RollingStone.com about the auction. In the interview, he mentions that he'll still keep hold of around 20 guitars, but the process of getting rid of the bulk of them is something he has been intending to do for quite some time. The raising of a decent amount for charity is something key to the endeavour for him.

"These guitars have been very good to me," he told Rolling Stone. "They're my friends. They have given me lots of music. I just think it's time that they went off and served someone else. I have had my time with them. And of course the money that they will raise will do an enormous amount of good in the world, and that is my intention."

As Rolling Stone points out, the auction’s proceeds will benefit Gilmour's charitable foundation, which he's been running for decades. He said: "The money will be going to the larger needs of famine relief, homelessness and displacement of people throughout the world. We are going to work on the best way and the best balance of making what this raises do as much good on this planet as it can."

Read the whole interview here, and below is a video in which he talks about certain key instruments:

Some announcements aren't that unusual, or unexpected. Some, though, come along and take your breath away! Today brought one that firmly falls into the latter category.

Christie's Auction House in New York is auctioning highlights from the personal guitar collection of David Gilmour this year, on 20th June. Comprising more than 120 guitars, Gilmour's collection focuses on a selection of his preferred Fender models including Broadcasters, Esquires, Telecasters and Stratocasters, led by a guitar as iconic and recognisable as the historic performances for which it was used - the 1969 Black Strat.

Detailing the musical history of one of the world's most influential guitarists, the sale will be the largest and most comprehensive collection of guitars to be offered at auction. All sale proceeds will benefit charitable causes. Estimates range from $300 to $150,000, appealing to a wide spectrum of guitar aficionados, fans and collectors alike, but we suspect these estimates are fairly modest in a number of instances.

Thankfully, and in an excellent gesture to David's fans, a global tour of the collection will launch in London at Christie's (London, United Kingdom) in King Street from March 27th-31st where the full collection will be on display, followed by a display of highlights of the collection in Los Angeles May 7th-11th, and then there will be the New York sale preview (ahead of the auction itself) from June 14th-19th. During the exhibitions, the sound experience will be provided by Sennheiser.

David explained: "These guitars have been very good to me and many of them have given me pieces of music over the years. They have paid for themselves many times over, but it's now time that they moved on. Guitars were made to be played and it is my wish that wherever they end up, they continue to give their owners the gift of music. By auctioning these guitars I hope that I can give some help where it is really needed and through my charitable foundation do some good in this world. It will be a wrench to see them go and perhaps one day I'll have to track one or two of them down and buy them back!"

More details, including the tour of the exhibition, can be found at www.Christies.com/DavidGilmour.

All of us here at Brain Damage offer our very best wishes to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who celebrates the very special occasion of his birthday today (January 27th). We all trust you are having a great day, Nick!

The cornerstone of the band, he had his first drum kit at the tender age of 13. A member of Pink Floyd since the earliest iterations, he is the only one to have appeared on every one of their albums. Thanks to his late father Bill, he has been a "petrol head" from a young boy, and cars have been - and remain - one of his major passions in life. His most recent book, Passion for Speed, is worth checking out, as is the DVD of the same name focusing on his Ferrari Enzo car (with Nick heavily involved). Of course, for those who haven't read it, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd is an absolute essential read, and available in a variety of editions: hardback, softback (paperback) and audiobook, read by Nick himself...

Nick has contributed to a number of magazines on motoring issues over the years (including a fascinating monthly column in Octane Magazine), and also became president of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He is a trustee of the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, and a life member and Guardian of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club). He has been involved in motor racing since the early 1970s and has entered Le Mans five times.

Musically, of course, the big news last year was the launch of his new band, Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets. The four initial, small gigs in May 2018 held in London lead to a very successful and critically acclaimed European tour in September. This year, of course, the tour continues with dates in the US, Canada, and more dates in the UK and Europe.

Many happy returns, Nick, and see you on the road!