David Bowie’s secret final project revealed – here's how you can go see it
Pop icon David Bowie’s secret final project is set to be unveiled to the public after the works found locked in his study were donated to a London museum.
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The world may have thought the Starman singer’s parting gift had been his album Blackstar – the 2016 project that dealt with his cancer diagnosis and his acceptance his life would soon end.
But that was not the only project the legendary glam rock musician had been working on on his death bed.
Another work – an "18th Century musical" named The Spectator - has been donated to the V&A Museum alongside the rest of his archive.
It reportedly shows Bowie's interest in the development of art and satire in 18th Century London and includes stories of criminal gangs and the notorious thief "Honest" Jack Sheppard.
The Spectator was a daily periodical that ran for 555 issues from 1711 to 1712 and commented on London trends during the period.
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Bowie wrote notes in black ink summarising the publication's key essays, ranking them out of 10.
He appeared to score highly a morality story about two sisters, awarding it eight out of 10, and saying it "could be a good subplot".
The notes for The Spectator were reportedly discovered just as he had left them, stuck to the walls and locked away in his New York office.
Bowie always kept the room locked and the only other person with a key was his personal assistant.
It meant the files were left untouched until archivists started cataloguing his possessions.
The notes will soon be available for fans and scholars alike when the V&A East Storehouse opens the David Bowie Centre in Hackney Wick on 13 September.
Bowie’s archive has a staggering 90,000 objects, including the desk where he worked, and is expected to keep scholars working at it for years.
Around 200 items will be on display at the David Bowie Centre and visitors can book in to view things from the collection in person -including anything from stage costumes to handwritten notes.