Last year, we wrote about a massive upcoming David Bowie Centre exhibition. And it’s finally here.
A 90,000-strong archive of David Bowie artefacts is the subject of the David Bowie Centre, which opens its doors on Saturday, September 13th.
More good news: it’s free to visit.
Bad news: you still need a ticket, and the first wave appears to be extremely sold out.
The Victoria & Albert website recommends you sign up for ticket updates, while the next batch will be available to snag on October 22nd.
There’s not necessarily a huge rush to visit this one, though, as it’s a permanent collection, on show at the V&A East Storehouse.
The initial exhibition’s showing — because you can’t really highlight 90,000 items at the same time — features picks from Nile Rodgers, who collaborated with Bowie on his Let’s Dance album. And The Last Dinner Party, who didn’t even exist at the time of Bowie’s death, but are feasibly the kind of band Bowie may have appreciated.
Pieces we are told are included in this initial batch include Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane costumes from the 1970s, a film of his live appearances and “an installation tracing his impact on popular culture.”
A bounty of Bowie
Additional picks from Nile Rodgers and The Last Dinner Party include a suit from the Serious Moonlight tour, hand-written lyrics from the Young Americans era and letters sent between Bowie and Rodgers, dated from the 1990s, surrounding the Black Tie White Noise album.
Rodgers co-produced the album alongside Bowie, although he’s since spoken out about his dissatisfaction with the project. And, let’s be honest, Black Tie White Noise is not among Bowie’s best, is it?
Other recent headlines spurred on by the David Bowie Centre include that Bowie had plans for a musical called The Spectator. It was to be set in the 18th century, around a newspaper operation and a gang of upper-class thugs, looking into London society and the class system at the time.
The David Bowie Centre is home to notes on this unrealised project.
If you’re keen to check the exhibition out asap, you need to set a reminder for 10am on the 22nd of October, as that’s when the next batch of tickets goes live. You’re limited to two tickets.
The David Bowie Centre is found at the V&A East Storehouse in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, a few minutes’ walk from Hackney Wick London Overground station.
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