OH! YOU PRETTY THINGS

From saxophones to sketches, more than 100 extraordinary pieces of David Bowie memorabilia are to tour the UK. KAREN ROCKETT sifts through the highlights

- KAREN ROCKETT

LEGENDARY music icon David Bowie is to tour the UK once again... this time from beyond the grave.

More than 100 highlights from the V&A’s David Bowie archive will go on show in Dundee, Blackpool, Hull, County Durham, Bristol and beyond — from November, it was confirmed this week.

They include costumes from the singer’s Ziggy Stardust era along with instruments, handwritten notes, lyrics, polaroids and performance notes from Bowie's final albums, ‘The Next Day and Blackstar.

Many of the items have never been displayed before, including Bowie’s childhood saxophone and the house keys to his Berlin apartment.

“The demand to see the archive, which is made up of over 90,000 items, has been huge and the exhibition in London has been wildly successful,” Harriet Reed, contemporary performance curator at the V&A and curator of David Bowie: On Tour, tells the Daily Express.

“The intention was always to provide the widest possible access to the greatest number of people.

We have been entrusted to look after his legacy and that means connecting with as many people as possible, from hardcore fans to younger people who may not be as familiar with his work.”

The V&A’s David Bowie: On Tour is the only opportunity to see a range of items from Bowie’s personal archive up close, and the carefully curated objects give a rare glimpse into how he shaped his iconic music, video, TV and film work.

“None of the items going on tour have been displayed in London before,” continues Harriet.

“They will have only ever been seen if someone requested to see them via the one-to-one online request service so Bowie fans outside of the capital are in for a real treat.”

She says her team have carefully selected the items they believe to be the most impactful as they attempt to cover half a century of music history.