David Bowie: On Tour is coming to Dundee!
David Bowie: On Tour will open at V&A Dundee in November – the first venue to stage the V&A’s new UK-wide touring archive.
Bringing together around 100 highlights from the V&A’s David Bowie archive – many that have never been on public display before – David Bowie: On Tour will offer a rare glimpse into Bowie’s creative process and enduring impact.
Across four sections, discover the behind-the-scenes story of how he created his ever-evolving iconic image, music and screen work.
Highlights include legendary costumes, musical instruments and career-spanning photography, plus never-before-seen items including Polaroids for make-up and costume fittings, a Ziggy Stardust-era acoustic guitar, unrealised scripts, handwritten lyrics, performance notes and costumes from Bowie’s final albums, The Next Day and ★ (Blackstar).
Tickets will go on sale in late September with priority booking for V&A Dundee Members. Become a Member or sign up to e-news to be the first to hear when tickets will be released.
See below for more information.
Key Objects
About David Bowie: On Tour
Section 1
The opening section, ‘Bowie Through a Lens’, explores how photography shaped Bowie’s image and identity, featuring work by Terry O’Neill, Mick Rock, Sukita, Brian Ward and more.
Section 2
The second section, ‘All the Somebody People’ focuses on Bowie onstage and in the studio across four defining eras, revealing how he continually reinvented his sound and personas:
- Ziggy Stardust offers a case study in Bowie’s songwriting prowess and how he crafted his iconic persona, from Freddie Burretti and Kansai Yamamoto costumes to Bowie’s handwritten notes and cut-ups plotting the album, sketches for the tour, and a seminal acoustic guitar from the era – on display for the first time.
- Bowie’s Berlin years highlight his pioneering use of techniques and recording equipment in the studio with Tony Visconti and Brian Eno for albums Low (1977), “Heroes” (1977), and Lodger (1979). From Bowie’s keys to his apartment at Hauptstraße 155, Berlin, to his unseen sketches and concept art for the cover of Low, handwritten lyrics for Lodger’s ‘Look Back in Anger’, and the koto, the Japanese musical instrument, used by Bowie on ‘Moss Garden’ from “Heroes”.
- Let’s Dance reveals how Bowie created the blueprint for major stadium tours, with a series of unseen lyrics and a set design for the Serious Moonlight tour on show for the first time, alongside photography of studio recording sessions and the album’s cover shoot.
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★ (Blackstar) explores Bowie’s symbolism in recalling previous eras through his final recording, with items including Bowie’s handwritten lyrics for the song ★ (Blackstar), and hand-painted costume for the ‘Lazarus’ music video, alongside performance notes and props, giving never-before-seen insight into the album’s creation.
Section 3
The third section, ‘Hooked to the Silver Screen’, reveals Bowie’s groundbreaking performances on screen, from him pushing the boundaries with his approach to music videos to his iconic film and TV roles and unexpected cameos. Highlights include: - Bowie’s storyboard sketches and the Natasha Korniloff-designed costume for his ‘Ashes to Ashes’ music video (1980) to his collaborations with Flora Sigismondi for the ‘Little Wonder’ music video (1997) and unseen video treatments, scripts and props for ‘The Stars are Out Tonight’ video for The Next Day album (2013).
- Contact sheets from Bowie’s first ever film set, The Image (1967), the clapperboard used for The Man Who Fell to Earth (1975), his unseen prep-notes for Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence (1983) and his script, character notes and Polaroids of costume fittings for his character Jareth in the 1986 fantasy film, Labyrinth – along with Polaroids of other make up tests.
- Bowie’s further onscreen moments including this role as narrator for The Snowman (1982), his star turn as Lord Royal Highness in 2006’s SpongeBob SquarePants movie alongside a script for an episode of The Simpsons that Bowie politely declined.
Section 4
The final section, ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’, explores Bowie’s interest in time, documenting his process and legacy. The items and personal possessions that Bowie chose to keep in his archive are revealing, showing a creative mind constantly thinking about the next project. Highlights include: - Musical instruments and equipment, including Bowie’s first instrument, the Grafton Alto saxophone bought for him by his father in 1961 and the harmonica microphone used on his last live tour (A Reality Tour, 2003-2004)
- Personal items, such as fan art, the stopwatch he used when songwriting, his 1988 British passport and his advance copy of The Velvet Underground’s 1967 ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’ record. Other items include handwritten to-do lists with the workshops, interviews and museum visits Bowie had planned, charts revealing the projects he wanted to achieve – and those that went unrealised, such as Bowie’s handwritten synopsis for a proposed TV film called The Catastrophy Cabinet dating to around 1974-1975.
- Items revealing Bowie organising his thoughts and planning for the future span his 1977 inventory of costumes to documents revealing his thought process and how he saw the music industry evolving, the song chart he used during the Earthling tour (1997) and post-it note conversations with his archive team about items he chose to hold on to.
David Bowie: On Tour has been developed by V&A Touring and V&A National Programmes, in collaboration with partner venues across the UK, and is curated by Harriet Reed, Curator of Contemporary Performance at the V&A. It will also tour to Blackpool, Hull, County Durham and Bristol.