“Waiting for the gift of sound and vision…”
This has been a long time coming since we first announced back in February of last year.
It gives us much pleasure to share the press release following this morning’s London press event where details about V&A East Storehouse including an Order an Object service, new acquisitions, a reveal of opening displays and more about the David Bowie Centre were presented.
With introductions from the V&A’s Deputy Director Tim Reeve and V&A East's Director Gus Casely-Hayford there was also a panel discussion led by Naz Hamdi, along with a sneak peek inside V&A East Storehouse’s Collections Hall.
Keep reading for more information...
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Opening on 13 September 2025, V&A East Storehouse’s free to access David Bowie Centre will be the new home of David Bowie’s archive, recently acquired by the V&A through the generosity of the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group. For the first time, the archive of 90,000+ items, which traces Bowie’s creative processes as a musical innovator, cultural icon, and advocate for self-expression and reinvention, will be accessible to everyone. Highlights include stage costumes such as Bowie’s breakthrough Ziggy Stardust ensembles designed by Freddie Burretti (1972), lyrics for songs including Fame (1975), Heroes (1977) and Ashes to Ashes (1980), as well as examples of the ‘cut up’ method of writing introduced to Bowie by the writer William Burroughs.
Split into three separate zones, the David Bowie Centre will have a mix of small, curated displays and audio-visual installations. There will also be quieter study areas, where visitors can delve into all aspects of Bowie’s archive on their own. From Bowie’s iconic costume to musical instruments, make-up charts, stage models, Oblique Strategies card decks, personal notes, writings, lyrics and music, sketches, designs and more, at V&A East Storehouse, visitors can get closer to David Bowie than ever before.
To develop the inaugural David Bowie Centre displays, the curatorial team consulted with 18–25-year-olds from the four Olympic Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest through London Legacy Development Corporation and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s Elevate Youth Voice. The small displays spotlight the wide range of objects within the archive and Bowie’s multi-dimensional creative approach, including his unrealised projects, collaborations, and influences. They also reveal the stories behind the creation of some of Bowie’s iconic albums and personas from Aladdin Sane to The Thin White Duke, and his significant influence on creatives from Lana del Rey to Lil Nas X and Issey Miyake. A series of rotating guest curators – including Bowie’s collaborators, experts, contemporary creatives, and young people from V&A East’s Youth Collective – will also be invited to share their insights and perspectives on the archive.
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More details regarding schedules, events and access to follow.
📸 Bowie live onstage in 1973 image by Mick Rock and a guitar from the David Bowie Archive being prepared ahead of the David Bowie Centre opening at V&A East Storehouse © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
See the David Bowie Facebook version of this post for more images.
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