East London’s about to become a bit more glam-rock. The long-awaited V&A East Storehouse (which opened its doors in May just gone) will soon see Life on Mars from September 13, when David Bowie’s personal archive opens up inside a “creative workspace” built for the collection.
Yup – the lightning bolt legend’s entire creative odyssey is being exhibited at Stratford’s East Bank development, offering fans a kaleidoscopic look into one of the most shape-shifting icons in music history, and I for one will be be a rebel rebel, and attend!
David Bowie’s creative archive will be free to see (spaces need to be booked)
Oh! You Pretty Things are in for a treat come September 13. There’ll be all sorts of The Thin White Duke’s memorabilia on display. I’m on about: handwritten lyrics, extravagant stage costumes, original sketches, instruments, and even set designs from across David Bowie’s five-decade career. It’s a behind-the-curtain glimpse into how his many, multifaceted and detailed personas came to life.
The archive holds more than 80,000 items—many of which will be made public for the first time.
Superfans will be able to book one-on-one time with items from the collection.
The world’s largest collection of David Bowie’s life and art
The V&A East Storehouse isn’t just normal gallery—it’s part archive, part workshop, part immersive peek inside one of the world’s biggest museum collections. Visitors will be able to watch conservators at work, get well-acquainted with objects usually stashed away in vaults, and have a gander ’round exhibits across design, fashion, and more.
Think of it as the V&A’s FREE backstage pass—lanyard not needed. The centre will be open daily.
To the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas, just some of the items included in the collection are: 414 costumes and accessories, nearly 150 musical instruments, amps, and other sound equipment, 187 awards, life masks, framed art, merchandise including tour t-shirts, posters, (sing it like “Five Gold Rings”): Bowie’s own desk, (back to normal): props and scenery for concerts, film and theatre. Paper-based material includes notebooks, diaries, lyrics, scripts, correspondence, project files, writings, unrealised projects, cover artwork, designs, concept drawings, fan mail and art.
One of the coolest things to do in East London
Nestled in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the new space is a short hop, skip, and jump from Stratford station, surrounded by the cultural buzz of East Bank’s growing creative scene (Sadler’s Wells, the BBC, and UAL are all newbies in the area).
As well as a new visitor experience, first and foremost, the David Bowie Centre is a working archive and store for the legend’s paper-based archive, with reading and study rooms.
Bowie always loved being not just ahead of the curve—so much that he melded and bent it all by himself into his own image, and this is exhibition captures parts of what made up his essence, displayed with honour for his legacy. Tickets are free, but booking a timed slot will be required. Find out all of the “Changes” here.