London’s V&A Museum has announced the opening of a new visitor attraction, the V&A East Storehouse, which will soon be home to the highly anticipated David Bowie Centre. The new site, located in East Bank within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, is set to launch on May 31, with the Bowie Centre following later that year on September 13.
The V&A East Storehouse will be a treasure trove of over 500,000 works, featuring everything from Glastonbury Festival archives to stage costumes from icons like PJ Harvey and Elton John. It will also showcase a vast range of cultural artifacts, including vintage couture, Samurai swords, and over 100 mini-displays. But the real showstopper will be the David Bowie Centre, which promises to house an archive of over 90,000 items dedicated to the legendary artist.
Fans can expect to dive deep into Bowie’s creative world, exploring his journey as a musical visionary and cultural trailblazer. The centre will display iconic outfits, hand-written lyrics, and personal notes, as well as examples of Bowie’s famous ‘cut-up’ writing technique, inspired by William Burroughs. Curated spaces and multimedia installations will allow visitors to immerse themselves in Bowie’s groundbreaking work, while quieter study areas offer the chance to explore the archive in a more intimate way.
The inaugural displays have been developed in collaboration with young people from the surrounding Olympic boroughs, ensuring a fresh, modern perspective. Special guest curators, including those who worked with Bowie, will be on hand throughout the year to offer exclusive insights into his creative process.
This new David Bowie Centre follows the massive success of the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition, which toured the world from 2013 to 2018, captivating audiences in 12 cities. The V&A now becomes the official custodian of Bowie’s extensive archive, bringing his legacy to life for future generations.
Photo: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns/Getty
