The David Bowie Centre is opening this weekend (13 September) at V&A East Storehouse in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, London.
Designed by architecture studio IDK, the centre was created to house David Bowie‘s archive of more than 90,000 items, including handwritten lyrics, costumes, instruments, album artwork, photos and more.
These will go on view in nine rotating displays of 200 objects, with guests able to request items that aren’t on display to look at closely through the ‘order an object’ service. So far, more than 500 objects have been booked.
Items put on view for the first time include The Spectator, an unrealised musical that Bowie was working on until his death in 2016, and musical instruments such as a Ziggy Stardust-era guitar.
The David Bowie Centre includes Bowie’s first-ever instrument, a saxophone bought by his father, as well as Jim Henson-designed puppets of Bowie’s personas for a music video that was never released.
Also available to order are one of Bowie’s final Ziggy Stardust outfits, the clapperboard used for the film The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976), and items related to Bowie’s 50th birthday concert in 1997.
David Bowie items on view for first tme
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.”
London‘s mayor 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.”
V&A East Storehouse, a collection and research centre, is part of V&A East, which includes the V&A East Museum.
Access to the David Bowie Centre is free, with tickets to be released every six weeks.
Images courtesy of V&A
