David Bowie Archive Opens in London: A Look at His Career and Legacy

The David Bowie Centre in London

• 🏛️ A new David Bowie archive has opened in London at the V&A East Storehouse, showcasing items from the British star's profound legacy.
• 🖼️ The exhibition features iconic outfits, including the ice blue suit from "Life on Mars" and the Ziggy Stardust lightning bolt jacket.
• 🎸 Visitors can also see instruments like guitars he strummed and handwritten lyric sheets.

Curatorial Challenges and Discoveries

• 📚 Madeleine Haddon, lead curator, described selecting items for display from over 90,000 archival items as a significant intellectual challenge.
• 💡 Curator Harriet Reed highlighted the daily discoveries of new stories and items never before displayed.
• ✍️ Reed expressed particular interest in the ephemera surrounding Bowie's creative process, such as notes, to-do lists, and records of cultural consumption.

Bowie's Creative Process and Legacy

• 🎭 David Bowie, who passed away in 2016 at age 69, was a prolific musician, writer, actor, and designer.
• 📝 Towards the end of his life, he was working on a musical set in 18th-century London, showing keen research into artists like Hogarth and Reynolds, and the era's culture.
• 🔍 The archive reveals his restless creativity and deep engagement with various forms of culture.

Accessing the Archive

• 💻 Items not on display can be viewed in person by making an online appointment.