One of David Bowie’s final unrealised musical projects to go on display

One of David Bowie’s final unrealised musical projects, The Spectator, is to go on display for the first time next week.

The piece will be shown at The David Bowie Centre, which is due to open at the V&A’s new East Storehouse in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Stratford, east London, on September 13.

The Spectator was a musical set in 18th century London, and was discovered in Bowie’s office after his death in 2016.

Bowie had researched artists, writers, queer communities, criminals and public executions for the project to illustrate a London society on the cusp of modernity.

The museum will display his notepad, index cards, and a series of sticky notes outlining historical events, potential characters, and possible scenes for the musical set around Covent Garden in the 1700s.

The musical was to include historical and invented characters and Bowie had planned for it to open with the dramatic real-life public execution of the notorious criminal, Jack Sheppard, in November 1724.

Dr Madeleine Haddon, curator of V&A East, said: “Bowie was a pioneering multi-disciplinary creative — musician, actor, writer, performer, and cultural icon – working in a way many young creatives move fluidly across disciplines today.

“He was fascinated by the modern musical form and the 18th century as a threshold of modernity, shaped by the Enlightenment, advances in the arts, science, and philosophy.

“His plans for The Spectator, among other creative projects that can be seen across the displays, reveal his continual drive to experiment with boundary-pushing ideas and creative forms throughout his life and career, as well as his meticulous creative process, which visitors can delve into throughout his archive and across the David Bowie Centre’s opening displays.”

The new exhibition, which will be free, features costumes worn during the singer’s Ziggy Stardust period.

The David Bowie archive, which boasts more than 90,000 items, was acquired by the V&A with the help of the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group.

The centre will be spread across three zones, which will include curated displays, audio visual installations and quieter study areas, allowing visitors to view the Bowie archive on their own, from musical instruments to stage models.

Small displays will tell the stories behind the singer’s albums and also look at his multi-dimensional creative approach, including unrealised projects, collaborations and influences.

The East Storehouse opened at the end of May, and features the Order An Object initiative, allowing visitors to pre-book to see an item from its entire collection.

The V&A will also open the V&A East Museum in spring 2026, in an area named East Bank.

Its main museum is in South Kensington, west London, and it also runs the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, east London.