David Byrne, Lucius, How To Dress Well, and tUne-yArDs get their guard on

The WGI Color Guard World Championships in Dayton, Ohio are the equivalent of the Super Bowl for the flag-twirling set. On April 18 of this year BAM tagged along with Contemporary Color artists David Byrne, Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessing (Lucius), Tom Krell (How To Dress Well), and Merrill Garbus (tUne-yArDs) for a whirlwind 24-hour-immersion in the “sport of the arts.” All photos by Rebecca Greenfield.

Jess and Holly from Lucius meet their team Shenendahowa High School for the first time at a local food court. Camera phones abound:

BAM Illustrated: Icons and Innovators in Sparkly Spandex

David Byrne's Contemporary Color is less than three weeks away! Acquaint yourself with the musicians and color guard moves with this helpful guide:

David Byrne Raises Flags

Art Direction & Design by Doyle Partners; photo by Julieta Cervantes

By Jane Jansen Seymour

David Byrne fans know to expect the unexpected. Over the years, this former frontman of the seminal rock band Talking Heads has enjoyed an extensive solo career, indulging in his passion for world music, brass orchestras, and countless collaborations with artists of all genres. He has not shied from expressing his artistic vision on film (beginning with True Stories) along with soundtracks, including Grammy-winning music for the movie The Last Emperor. He has also branched into writing, most recently about his love of bicycling (Bicycle Diaries) in print, plus an interactive e-book explaining his view of How Music Works.

Crisscrossing creative outlets, Byrne has turned spaces into instruments (Playing the Building, an installation at New York’s Battery Maritime Museum) and incorporated dance movement in his last world tour supporting the album of songs written with Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. His concept album with Fat Boy Slim chronicling the life of Imelda Marcos, Here Lies Love, evolved into an award-winning theatrical production. Byrne’s recent ties with BAM include performing in a tribute to William Onyeabor, and designing witty alphabet-based bike racks for BAM.