The idea of the “Desert Island Disc” has been around for quite some time, I mean the BBC has had a programm[e] on since 1942! You know the story, or some variation of it, you pick “x” number of records… 8-tracks… cassettes… CDs… a Zune loaded with WAV files… you get it. Playing off the concept, I started a project that titled “Desert Island Stitch” [patent pending] where I pick some of my favorite albums and interpret them as cross stitch pieces.

For the first one, I chose David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane.” The album is iconic in many ways, and I’ve referenced it visually for years [most notably in my Mr Roboto and Tin Can spacecraft], so it was an easy choice. The iconic image was a result of the collaboration between graphic designer Celia Philo, photographer Brian Duffy, and make-up artist Pierre La Roche. The design was simple and pure, which is probably why it appears on so many “best album cover” lists.

The Process