Latest news with #VAMuseum
Telegraph
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Nile Rodgers: Music saved my life ... and David Bowie's too
Nile Rodgers has said music saved his and David Bowie 's lives. The Chic star, 72, made the comments while guest curating a display for the new David Bowie Centre, which features personal correspondence between the two musicians. Speaking about their friendship, Rodgers said: 'My creative life with Bowie provided the greatest success of his incredible career, but our friendship was just as rewarding. Our bond was built on a love of the music that had both made and saved our lives.' The centre, put together by the V&A Museum, will feature a bespoke Peter Hall suit worn by Bowie during the Serious Moonlight tour and chosen for display by Rodgers. It will also showcase photographs of Bowie, Rodgers and the guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan recording Bowie's hit song Let's Dance in New York. Rodgers produced Let's Dance and the 1983 album of the same name, as well as the 1993 album Black Tie White Noise, with personal correspondence on display relating to the latter. Costumes worn during Bowie's Ziggy Stardust period, and those worn by other musicians including Sir Elton John and PJ Harvey, will also be on display. The centre will open within the museum's new East Storehouse in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in Stratford, east London, on Sept 13. The Last Dinner Party, the Brit Award-winning indie rock band, have also curated part of the exhibition, describing Bowie as a 'constant source of inspiration to us'. Their items include Bowie's elaborate handwritten lyrics for his song Win, and notes and set lists for his 1976 Isolar tour. The band said: 'David Bowie continues to inspire generations of artists like us to stand up for ourselves. 'It was such a thrill to explore Bowie's archive and see first hand the process that went into his world-building and how he created a sense of community and belonging for those that felt like outcasts or alienated – something that's really important to us in our work too.' Access to the David Bowie Centre will be free, with tickets released nearer its opening. The David Bowie archive, which boasts more than 90,000 items, was acquired by the V&A with the help of the David Bowie Estate, the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group. The centre will be spread across three zones which will include curated displays, audio visual installations and quieter study areas, allowing visitors to view the Bowie archive on their own, from musical instruments to stage models. Small displays will tell the stories behind the singer's albums and also look at his multidimensional creative approach, including unrealised projects, collaborations and influences. The East Storehouse opened at the end of May, and features the Order An Object initiative, where visitors can pre-book to see an item from its entire collection. The V&A will also open the V&A East Museum, in an area named East Bank, in spring 2026.
The Guardian
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
V&A announces details for David Bowie Centre
From the Thierry Mugler suit he got married in to his costumes from the Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane era, David Bowie's most iconic looks will be available for fans to see up close as the V&A museum opens its David Bowie Centre on 13 September. Part of the V&A's wider archival project, the V&A East Storehouse, the Bowie archive comprises more than 90,000 items – which won't all be on display at once. Instead, in details revealed today, visitors will be able to order up items to look at closely, while V&A archivists and star curators will make selections to go on display in a series of rotating showcases. Tickets will be free. Nile Rodgers, the Chic bandleader and guitarist who worked with Bowie on the hit album Let's Dance, has curated one of these areas, with items including correspondence between the two, studio images taken by Peter Gabriel during the making of Bowie's Rodgers-assisted 1993 album Black Tie White Noise, and a bespoke suit designed by Peter Hall for the Serious Moonlight tour. 'My creative life with David Bowie provided the greatest success of his incredible career, but our friendship was just as rewarding,' Rodgers said, announcing the partnership. 'Our bond was built on a love of the music that had both made and saved our lives.' Also playing guest curators are the members of chart-topping alt-pop band the Last Dinner Party, whose selections include handwritten lyrics for the Young Americans album, studio photos by Mick Rock and – rather nerdishly – the manual for Bowie's EMS synth, heard on the so-called Berlin trilogy of albums. 'David Bowie continues to inspire generations of artists like us to stand up for ourselves,' the band said in a joint statement. 'When we first started developing ideas for TLDP, we took a similar approach to Bowie developing his Station to Station album – we had a notebook and would write words we wanted to associate with the band. It was such a thrill to explore Bowie's archive, and see first-hand the process that went into his world-building and how he created a sense of community and belonging for those that felt like outcasts or alienated – something that's really important to us in our work too.' Rodgers and the band's choices will be included in an area featuring items that are rotated every six months or so, with fresh guest curators each time. There will also be eight other sections showcasing around 200 Bowie items curated by the V&A team in collaboration with young people from the neighbouring London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, with each area refreshed every few years. These will include a look at Bowie's unrealised projects, such as film tie-ins with the Diamond Dogs and Young Americans albums, and even a mooted adaptation of George Orwell's 1984. Other areas will spotlight iconic moments such as his 1987 Glass Spider tour, his collaborations with bassist Gail Ann Dorsey and the creation of the Ziggy Stardust persona. There will also be an interactive installation tracing Bowie's impact on pop cultural figures from Issey Miyake to Lady Gaga, and a film compiling live performances across his career. What will really provoke Bowie fans' fascination, though, is seeing objects up close, 'including costumes, musical instruments, models, props and scenery' according to the V&A. Visitors will be able to book to see five items each visit, with two weeks' notice, using the V&A's 'order an object' service. Bookings will begin in September. More than 70,000 of the archive items are photographic prints, negatives and transparencies, and these, along with other paper-based items – 'notebooks, diaries, lyrics, scripts, correspondence, project files, writings, unrealised projects, cover artwork, designs, concept drawings, fanmail and art' – will also be available to view by special appointment. The V&A first acquired Bowie's archive in 2023, with director Tristram Hunt promising the David Bowie Centre would be a 'new sourcebook for the Bowies of tomorrow'. He and his team will hope the centre will be a major tourist draw to its new V&A East Storehouse, which opened in May in the Olympic Park, Stratford. Like the David Bowie Centre within it, the building showcases items from the V&A's collection, and allows visitors to book to see other items close up. 'We wanted it to feel like an immersive cabinet of curiosities,' the building's architect Liz Diller told the Guardian. 'So you land right in the middle, at the very heart of the building, flipping the usual progression from public to private.' The Guardian's architecture critic Oliver Wainwright said the buildings gives 'a thrilling window into the sprawling stacks of our national museum of everything', while art critic Jonathan Jones said in a five star review: 'This is what the museum of the future looks like – an old idea that's now been turned inside out, upside down, disgorging its secrets, good and bad, in an avalanche of beautiful questions, created with curiosity, generous imagination and love.' Another V&A outpost in the Olympic Park, the more traditional gallery space of V&A East Museum, will open in spring 2026.
The Independent
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kate Middleton just wore these surprisingly affordable earrings
The Princess of Wales consistently demonstrates her sartorial flair. At a solo visit to the V&A East Storehouse (part of the V&A Museum group) on Tuesday (10 June), she proved her styling skills once more and looked every bit regal. The princess, who studied art history, rewore a sleek navy trouser suit by Alexander McQueen for her private tour of the museum. Kate Middleton paired the two-piece with a pair of earrings from British brand Carousel Jewels. Much like her suit, she has worn the drop studs in the past, notably in 2022 at an Easter Sunday service. True to the 'Kate effect', they sold out almost immediately. While it's fair to assume that most of Kate's jewellery collection is unattainable, she frequently plumps for reasonably-priced jewels to compliment her outfits, and the latest piece is no exception. If you missed out on the jewellery piece in 2022, it's good news because the earrings are available to buy now. The ethos behind British brand Carousel Jewels is creating jewellery that is 'meaningful, memorable, and responsibly made', which is reflected in all of its handmade designs. Using precious and semi-precious stones in its playful designs, there's a piece for every occasion. Much like the rest of the brand's collection, the gold-plated earrings that Kate wore are handmade. The blue lapis stone is complimented by the milky blue hue of the moonstone to create an eye-catching finish. The chic style can be tailored to suit any occasion. Owing to popularity, you are in for a little wait before you can get your hands on them. The earrings are available to pre-order with delivery expected in five weeks. However, they will be well worth the wait.
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Apprentice star who grills candidates for Alan Sugar is 'shamed' after falling for iTunes gift card scam
A successful businessman and star of The Apprentice has admitted falling victim to an iTunes gift card con. Publishing guru Mike Soutar, who grills candidates on the BBC series for Lord Alan Sugar, has told of his 'shame' after succumbing to an elaborate online fraud. The entrepreneur, 58, was tricked into paying £150 for Apple iTunes vouchers, he has revealed. He had received an email that he thought came from Scottish businessman Tim Allan, whom he sits alongside on the board of the V&A Museum in Dundee. It asked him to buy £450 worth of vouchers for members of staff at the museum to recognise their recent hard work in preparing a new exhibition. Mr Soutar, who said he was pushed for time, immediately bought vouchers to the value of £150 - but his credit card blocked his attempt to purchase more. He then realised the email address the message had been sent from was different from Mr Allan's. And when he called his colleague, who is chairman of the V&A Dundee, he realised he had been scammed. Mr Soutar has now spoken out about falling prey, writing on LinkedIn: 'When Tim Allan CBE asks you to take on an assignment you snap to it. 'So when he emails a request for me to take on a "special assignment" early on Saturday morning, I am intrigued. '"Can you buy some vouchers for some of the members of the team to recognise their hard work over and above the call of duty?" 'This is typical Tim. Brilliant at knowing the right time to make a personal gesture. And he's right - the team have been working overtime to put on an epic new Garden Design exhibition. 'We exchange emails. Tim says he knows he can trust me to keep it all confidential. And then: "Can you get the vouchers in the next 20-30 minutes?" 'Erm, OK, I reply, but it'll have to be online. "That's fine," he says, "Just get iTune gift cards, do £450-worth, send me the PINs and keep the cards in an envelope for me.' 'He sounds a bit stressed and impatient so I try to call him. I get no answer but, pressed for time myself, I buy £150 of vouchers. 'My credit card flags the second transaction and blocks it. I curse the overcautious fraud filter, and I tap on Tim's name at the top of the email address. He has been interviewing candidates on The Apprentice on each series since 2011 'It is not his email address. I message him. He phones me back. "What's all this about vouchers?" I've been scammed.' Mr Soutar ultimately got his money back but has gone public with the details, saying he wanted to warn others that anyone can fall victim to fraud. He added: 'The part that stings is the sense of shame. The stomach-punch to your self-worth. The voice in your head saying, "You absolute mug, Mike. How did you fall for it?" 'The irony is not lost on me. I'm the man who catches unwitting candidates out on The Apprentice! 'But scams don't prey on stupidity. They prey on timing. On stress. On distraction. They exploit trust. That's why so many victims don't talk about it. 'Because it feels personal. It shakes something deeper than your bank balance. 'So here I am, not staying silent. Fraud can happen to anyone. Even me. Even you.' Dundee-born Mr Soutar has had various senior executive roles in the publishing industry and was recently appointed to the UK Government's Board of Trade to champion the best of British business to the rest of the world. He is seen alongside singer Sam Ruder as part of an SXSW London 2025 panel on Tuesday His previous jobs have included being editor of Smash Hits magazine aged 23, managing director of radio station Kiss FM and co-founder and chairman of publishing firm Shortlist Media. He has been one of Lord Sugar's on-screen interviewers of the final candidates on every series of the Apprentice since 2011, subjecting them to tough questioning. Figures released earlier this week revealed Scottish victims have lost more than £860,000 to cyber criminals in the last year. In what is dubbed a "scamdemic" by charity Advice Direct Scotland, the number of such crimes rose from 94 in 2021-22 to 1,119 in 2024-25 - up 1,090 per cent.
