David Bowie‘s secret last project was discovered locked in his study by archivists.
Only Bowie and his personal assistant had a key to the study so the project, described in his notes as an ’18th Century musical’, had not been seen until his death in 2016.
The project’s existence was unknown to his closest collaborators but now the project, called The Spectator, has been donated to the V&A Museum, with the rest of Bowie’s archive.
The notes were found pinned to the walls and stored in his office in New York, exactly how he left them.
They focus on the development of art and satire in 18th Century London as well as stories of criminal gangs and the notorious thief ‘Honest’ Jack Sheppard.
Bowie had previously spoken of writing a theatre show was a lifelong ambition.
In 2002, he told BBC Radio 4’s John Wilson: ‘Right at the very beginning, I really wanted to write for theatre.
‘And I guess I could have just written for theatre in my living room – but I think the intent was [always] to have a pretty big audience.’
David Bowie and his personal assistant had a key so the project, described in his notes as an ’18th Century musical’, had not been seen until his death in 2016
The project’s existence was unknown to his closest collaborators but now the project, called The Spectator, has been donated to the V&A Museum, with the rest of Bowie’s archive
The notes were found pinned to the walls and stored in his office in New York, exactly how he left them
The unfinished project will be on show at the David Bowie Centre when it opens at the V&A East Storehouse in Hackney Wick on September 13.
It will showcase more than 90,000 iconic items from the singer’s illustrious career for fans and others to honour.
The special Bowie collection will include musical instruments, notebooks, guest curators and handwritten lyrics from the star, including Fame (1975), Heroes (1977) and Ashes To Ashes (1980).
It will also include costumes worn during his Ziggy Stardust period and examples of the ‘cut up’ method of writing which was introduced to Bowie by the writer William Burroughs.
Small displays will tell the stories behind the singer’s albums and also look at his creative approach, including unreleased projects, collaborations, and influences.
Madeleine Haddon, the collection’s lead curator, told the BBC: ‘We even have the desk [where he worked] at the Storehouse, as well,’
The Spectator will make up part of the display, with Bowie spending his last years summarising a daily periodical that ran for 555 issues between 1711 and 1712 commenting on London society.
In one note, he discussed making Jack Sheppard, a petty thief who ho managed four spectacular escapes from London prisons, one of the main characters.
The special Bowie collection will include musical instruments, notebooks, guest curators and handwritten lyrics from the star, including Fame (1975), Heroes (1977) and Ashes To Ashes (1980)
It will also include costumes worn during his Ziggy Stardust period and examples of the ‘cut up’ method of writing which was introduced to Bowie by the writer William Burroughs
He also made a note of vigilante Jonathan Wild, who was responsible for Sheppard’s arrest and execution.
Bowie also wrote of another possible plot point that involved a ‘central figure’ in the musical being attacked by the Mohocks, a notorious gang.
However, we will never fully know Bowie’s intention for the musical.
Around 200 items will be on public display at the centre but visitors will be able to book an appointment to view anything from the entire collection, that has 90,000 items to it,
