David Bowie’s final project has been unveiled as an “18th century musical” set in east London, which even his closest collaborators were unaware of.
Sticky notes of the project, called The Spectator, were found locked in the late singer’s study in 2016.
They have now been donated to the V&A Museum along with the rest of Bowie’s archive, including original costumes and handwritten lyrics.
The notes were shared with the BBC and show Bowie’s fascination with the evolution of art and satire in the 18th century.
In the late 1700s, fashionable society became a popular target for satirical prints and comic illustrations, which mocked or critiqued the rich and famous. The heart of this thriving trade was in the West End, where such prints were produced and sold year-round.
Bowie’s notes make mention of the Gordon Riots of 1780 — a week of widespread violent anti-Catholic disorder which was ignited by a Protestant Association led by Lord George Gordon. Protests were sparked by the Catholic Relief Act of 1778, which granted limited civil rights to Catholics, including acquiring and inheriting landed property.
He also mentions criminal gangs and notorious thieves, including Jack Sheppard, whose escapes from Newgate prison made him a popular, albeit controversial, figure.
Had Bowie’s musical been completed, it would have marked the fulfilment of one of his lifelong ambitions.
"Right at the very beginning, I really wanted to write for theatre," he told BBC Radio 4 in 2002.
"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."
Bowie also starred as John Merrick in The Elephant Man in 1980 and received critical acclaim for his performance.
His notes for The Spectator were found pinned to the wall in his office in New York.
The room was always locked and only Bowie and his personal assistant had access, so they were left undisturbed until archivists started cataloguing his work.
His notes will be available for fans and scholars to view when the David Bowie Centre opens at the V&A East Storehouse in Hackney Wick on September 13.
Madeleine Haddon, Curator, V&A East said: “Bowie embodied a truly multidisciplinary practice — musician, actor, writer, performer, and cultural icon — reflecting the way many young creatives today move fluidly across disciplines and reject singular definitions of identity or artistry.
“His fearless engagement with self-expression and performance has defined contemporary culture and resonates strongly with the values of authenticity, experimentation and freedom that we celebrate across the collections at V&A East Storehouse.
“Made possible through the generosity of the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group,this archive offers an extraordinary lens through which to examine broader questions of creativity, cultural change, and the social and historical moments during which Bowie lived and worked.
“In the Centre, we want you to get closer to Bowie, and his creative process than ever before. For Bowie fans and those coming to him for the first time, we hope the Centre can inspire the next generation of creatives.”
Tickets for the David Bowie Centre can be bought on the V&A Museum website.
