David Bowie

Compare Ziggy Stardust with the restrained presentation of the Berlin period and the polished pop performer of the Serious Moonlight tour. Bowie's changes reach beyond wardrobe into rhythm, vocal delivery and the kind of character addressing the audience. The V&A's archive of costumes, sketches and instruments makes that relationship unusually tangible. He belongs here because the image invites a different way of hearing the music, while collaborators and designers help each new phase acquire its own language.