A forthcoming display of the singer’s archive includes sticky notes detailing a theatrical work called The Spectator, about a petty thief and high-class gangs in London
David Bowie’s final project prior to his death in 2016 was an 18th-century musical called The Spectator, a forthcoming extensive exhibition of Bowie’s archive at the V&A East Storehouse has revealed.
The work was based around a daily newspaper of the same name that ran between 1711 and 1712, documenting the mores of society in London. Bowie’s notes reveal that he considered the publicly beloved petty thief Jack Sheppard as a potential lead character, as well as Jonathan Wild, the vigilante who was responsible for Sheppard being arrested and executed. He also focused on the Mohocks, a notorious gang of high-class young men who would get drunk and attack people on the streets.
The notes detail his fascination with the evolution of art and satire, including a timeline of artistic development in the early 18th century. “It seems he was thinking, ‘What is the role of artists within this period? How are artists creating a kind of satirical commentary?’” lead curator Madeleine Haddon told the BBC.
The broadcaster was given access to Bowie’s materials for the project, including a dedicated notebook and detailed sticky notes: the latter had been left affixed to the walls of his private office in New York, to which only Bowie and his PA had a key.
