Discover the World-First David Bowie Centre Opening at V&A East Storehouse in London

One of David Bowie’s final unrealised musical projects, The Spectator, an unseen Ziggy Stardust guitar, handwritten lyrics + Bowie’s own costume designs displayed for the first time as V&A East Storehouse’s David Bowie Centre opens to the public

Tin Machine II era doll made by a fan for DavidBowie, ca.1991. Image courtesy of the V&A.

From September, V&A East Storehouse East London UK opens its doors to the world-first

David Bowie Centre on East Bank in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, designed by

design company, IDK. A new permanent home for David Bowie’s archive – made

available to the public in entirety for the first time – the Centre is first and foremost a

working archive and collections store with reading areas and a study room.

Asymmetric catsuit David Bowie wore as

Ziggy Stardust. Designed by Kansai Yamamoto, 1973. Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

David Bowie performing as Ziggy Stardust wearing asymmetric catsuit designed byKansai Yamamoto. Photo Mick Rock, 1973. © Mick Rock

Visitors can book one-on-one time with their selections from the 90,000+ items in Bowie’s archive through the pioneering new Order an Object service and via appointments with the

V&A Archives team. Access to visit the David Bowie Centre is free but ticketed, with new ticket drops every six weeks. Within the first week of object appointments going live, over 500 items have been requested by the public.

The most popular object is a frockcoat designed by Alexander McQueen and David

Bowie for his 50th Birthday Concert in 1997.

Suit David Bowie wore Ziggy Stardust for‘Life on Mars’ music video from album Hunky Dory. Designed by Freddie Burretti, 1972. Image courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The David Bowie Centre is brought to life with a series of nine rotating mini displays

featuring approximately 200 highlights exploring different themes and elements of the

archive from Bowie’s creative process and personas to his many collaborators and

influences spanning Little Richard to Jungle and Drum & Bass.

The central space includes a dedicated area for exploring the archive further, where visitors who have booked a ticket to see the displays, can explore topic boxes housing curated selections of reproductions of archival material.

Overhead hang twenty of Bowie’s most iconic fashion and costumes in their special

storage bags, from Freddie Burretti’s Ziggy Stardust looks to Agnes b’s Heathen

ensembles, and Bowie’s 1992 Thierry Mugler wedding suit.

A new film created showcases performances and music videos spanning Bowie’s career and an interactive installation, ‘The Library of Connections’, traces the wide-spread

impact of Bowie on popular culture from the sit-com Friends to Issey Miyake fashion

and musicians from Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, Janelle Monae, and Kendrick Lamar.

New revelations and unseen items

The working archive and Order and Object service invites visitors on a personal journey

to explore unseen aspects of Bowie's extraordinary creative process. Items include

Bowie’s first ever instrument – a saxophone brought for him by his father in the

early 1960s, iconic and unfinished costumes, stage sets, and Jim Henson-designed

life size puppets of Bowie’s many personas for a music video that was never

released. Bowie’s extensive collection of writing, sketches, storyboards, handwritten

and unreleased lyrics, digital artwork, music sheets and correspondence all offer

personal insights into his creative process, and the ideas behind some of his eradefining projects.

Also available to order is one of Bowie’s final Ziggy Stardust ensembles, never seen in the UK, the clapperboard used for the film The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976), artwork, materials and costume related to Bowie’s 50th birthday concert in 1997, and Bowie’s original cover designs for albums Hours and Lodger, among others.

Replica of the 'Tokyo Pop' jumpsuit made by Kansai Yamamoto and worn by David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust on the Ziggy Stardust Tour, made ca. 2013. Image courtesy of the V&A.

Items tracing the creation of Bowie’s final albums, The Next Day (released 2013) and

Blackstar (released 2016) – not seen until now – are also available to book, including

costumes, posters and props for The Next Day such as the origami birds Bowie made

for his October 2013 NME cover shoot. Blackstar items include Bowie’s own sketches,

a costume Bowie decorated by hand for the 2016 ‘Lazurus’ music video referencing an

iconic 1975 photoshoot shot by Steve Schapiro, alongside Bowie’s own artwork and

awards.

Revelations within the displays span Bowie’s prophetic writings on the future of the

internet, photographs from recording sessions, his artist’s palette and self-portrait,

and a series of unrealised projects. Discovered in Bowie's office after his untimely

passing was The Spectator – a musical set in 18th century London. Bowie researched

artists, writers, queer communities, criminals and public executions for the project to

illustrate a London society on the cusp of modernity. On display are his notepad, index

cards, and a series of sticky notes outlining historical events, potential characters, and

possible scenes for the musical set around Covent Garden in the 1700s, including

historical and invented characters.

Costume designed by Mark Ravitz and David Bowie, worn by David Bowie, to perform 'Man Who Sold the World', Saturday Night Live, 1979. Image courtesy of the V&A.

The musical would open with the dramatic real-life public execution of the notorious criminal, Jack Sheppard, on 16 November 1724. Dr Madeleine Haddon, Curator, V&A East, said: “Bowie was a pioneering multidisciplinary creative —musician, actor, writer, performer, and cultural icon – working in a way many young creatives move fluidly across disciplines today. He was fascinated by the modern musical form and the 18th century as a threshold of modernity, shaped by the Enlightenment, advances in the arts, science, and philosophy. His plans for The Spectator, among other creative projects that can be seen across the displays, reveal his continual drive to experiment with boundary-pushing ideas and creative forms

throughout his life and career, as well as his meticulous creative process, which visitors

can delve into throughout his archive and across the David Bowie Centre’s opening

displays.”

Dr Tristram Hunt, Director of the V&A, said: “One of the greatest performers,

musicians, artists and innovators of all time, David Bowie’s impact continues to

reverberate nearly a decade after his death – while his influence on design and visual

culture and his inspiration on creatives today is unmatched. We are thrilled to care for

Bowie’s incredible archive, revealing new insights into his creativity and legacy, and open

it up for everyone at V&A East Storehouse, in dialogue with the V&A’s collection spanning

5,000 years of art, design, and performance. My deepest thanks go to the David Bowie

Estate, Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group – without their extreme

generosity, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

Sir Leonard Blavatnik, founder of the Blavatnik Family Foundation, said: “We're

proud to support the David Bowie Centre at V&A East Storehouse, honouring a timeless

cultural icon.”

Handwritten lyrics from the song ‘Win’ from the album Young Americans. © The David Bowie ArchiveTM. Image courtesy of the V&A.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The David Bowie Centre at V&A East

Storehouse is amazing. It’s a must see for fans of David Bowie. It offers a fascinating

insight into the life and work of one of London’s most influential artists. For the very

first time, this immense collection is available for the public – and it’s free. I’m

immensely proud of East Bank and City Hall will continue to support this new worldclass cultural quarter as we build a better London for everyone.”

Outside of the David Bowie Centre, and available to view without a free ticket, in V&A

East Storehouse’s main self-guided experience, a new mini display spotlights the work

of the David Bowie archive cataloguing team and a series of new revelations as part of

the process.

Bookings to see 3D items from the David Bowie archive, including costumes, musical

instruments, models, props and scenery, can be made through the V&A’s new sevenday-a-week Order an Object service. Visitors can book up to five items per visit at a

time that suits them. Bowie items are all live, ready to be booked, here. Paper-based

items including sketches, designs, writings, lyrics, press cuttings, and photographic

prints can be consulted through scheduling advance appointments with the Archives

team on Thursdays and Fridays. Visitors can search the David Bowie Archive here, and

make bookings via this online form here. Both methods of booking items from the David

Bowie archive require at least two weeks’ notice.