Bob Marley heads to Toronto
The Bob Marley One Love Experience is making its North American début at the Lighthouse Artspace in Toronto this July.
The travelling exhibition features never-before-seen Marley photographs and memorabilia, while immersing patrons in a journey through his life, passions, influences, and enduring legacy.
The Bob Marley One Love Experience will open in July and remain in the Canadian city for a six-week run at the Lighthouse Immersive Artspace.
The show features six rooms that bring together art, music, photos, memorabilia and what are described as “multi-sensory” experiences, Lighthouse Immersive said in a news release. Exhibit-goers can listen to Marley’s music in a virtual concert experience, view a wall-sized portrait and other artwork by French street artist Mr Brainwash, and delve into Marley’s personal interests, including his family and football.
“Toronto feels like the perfect place to make our first North American stop. Dad loved playing here and there is an incredible Caribbean community and reggae scene in the city,” said Cedella Marley, head of the Bob Marley Group Of Companies.
“We’ve had an incredible run in London [where the exhibition opened earlier this year] — it has been so heart-warming to see how much dad still means to so many and how much fans are enjoying the exhibit,” she continued.
Described as a “unique multi-room exhibit,” the Bob Marley experience will feature six distinct spaces, each of which is dedicated to a different chapter of the reggae icon’s life and legacy.
The first space has been dubbed Music Room. As patrons enter the experience, they will be greeted with positive vibrations in the One Love Music Room which will be adorned with lyrics, awards, accolades, and its centre piece, one of the world’s largest vinyl records commemorating Legend, the highest selling reggae albums of all time.
The journey continues into the lush One Love Forest, taking persons to Jamaica and the visual backdrop of the Marley songbook. Patrons are encouraged to enjoy a swing in the forest or just take in the scents and sounds. Next stop is the Soul Shakedown Studio. Described as a very unique silent disco at the heart of the experience, patrons are offered headphones and immersed into a reggae dance party.
The experience continues with The Beautiful Life Zone which celebrates all of Bob’s passions from soccer to family in a game room setting. The next space is the concrete Jungle Street Art Expo. Patrons will make their way through the backstage corridor of a Marley concert before entering the Concrete Jungle street and fan art expo anchored by original works by Mr Brainwash. Fans will have the chance to submit their Marley and One Love inspired art to be included in this section of the exhibit.
The exhibition wraps with Next Gen Zone where patrons will celebrate and honour the legacy of Bob Marley by highlighting the indelible and undeniable work of his wife Rita, his children, and now his grandchildren who have spread the message of One Love and Bob’s music and philanthropy to the globe over the past four decades.
This year marks the 77th anniversary of the birth of the reggae icon and 41 years since his passing .