Review: The Pink Floyd Exhibition is a Must-See For Every Music Fan

By: Curtis Sindrey –
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What is there left to say about Pink Floyd? A lot apparently with the opening of a new exhibition that extensively details every era of the iconic psych-rock band’s multi-decade career that produced some of the most beloved rock music of all-time including the now legendary albums Wish You Were Here, The Wall, and Dark Side of the Moon. 

As soon as you put on the complimentary headphones, and you walk into the exhibition, it’s more than overwhelming to take everything in. The exhibition, which opened on June 16th, features over 350 objects from throughout Pink Floyd’s existence, from concert posters, to original instruments, to stage props, and everything in between.

Starting in the mid-1960’s, you quickly get introduced to the band’s initial lineup featuring troubled frontman Syd Barrett, who struggled with mental health issues throughout his tenure with the band. During this time, the band developed a strong appreciation for blues legends like Blind Boy Fuller, along with Pink Anderson, and Floyd Council, the band’s namesakes.

As Pink Floyd dived deeper into the 1960’s, so did their level of experimentation and their embrace of everything psychedelia. By the release of their 1967 debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, the group had already been heavily experimenting with projectors and light/sound manipulation to give the audience an elevated experience. And by their 1970’s creative peak and beyond, it was so enlightening to see the band’s sonic evolution in terms of the on-stage visual effects they once used, to the wide assortment of guitars, basses, drums, synths, and other instruments that came to define the Pink Floyd sound. 

One of the most interesting aspects of the exhibition was the complete visual history of the band. Brought to life in part by designer duo Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell, the exhibition includes many concert posters, album designs, and more, that take you into the creative brainstorm of some of Pink Floyd’s most iconic album covers. It was especially fascinating to see the creative process behind a pair of my favourite album covers of Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. The WYWH section goes into great detail about the making of the inner sleeve artwork (spoiler: the “wave-less” effect was made with the model doing a handstand while wearing a scuba mask underwater). The exhibition also shows the design process behind the iconic WYWH album cover that depicts too men shaking hands with one of the men on fire. 

Overall, this new Pink Floyd exhibition is a must-see for not only Pink Floyd fans but for fans of that beloved era of music. There are so many pieces of memorabilia, instruments, etc, that you almost need to walk through twice just to take everything in. The exhibition is a touching, informative, entertaining, and exhaustive examination of a band’s influence that goes beyond music and extends almost into the cosmos.