February 12, 2002

The Royal Festival Hall has chosen David Bowie as the Artistic Director of Meltdown 2002. He will create his own festival of events to be staged at the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room on London's South Bank from June 14 to 30. The full lineup for Bowie's Meltdown will be announced soon.

Bowie is the tenth artist to curate Meltdown, Britain's cutting-edge festival, since its inception in 1993. Previous participants in the festival have included Radiohead, Blur, Elvis Costello and Spiritualized.

Known for its eclectic programs of rock, classical and contemporary music, film, theatre and exhibitions, Meltdown each year offers a guest director the chance to produce his or her own fantasy festival, mixing artists and art forms, reflecting their own passions and interests.

David Bowie says: "I'm excited about this opportunity to contribute to Meltdown. I hope some of the ideas we come up with for performances and artists will transpire, for if they do they will hopefully make this an inspiring and fun Festival. I was very disappointed two years ago when I had to decline Scott Walker's invitation to perform, so I am thrilled that I get a second chance to contribute in whatever way I can."

Glenn Max, the South Bank's Producer of Contemporary Culture, says: "I'm thrilled and honored that David Bowie has agreed to take up the challenge. An artist of his vision and stature will produce a festival that will undoubtedly attract artists and visitors from every corner of the world. As an artist, producer and bandleader, he always champions the work of others, both renowned and obscure. In many ways he's the quintessential Meltdown Director. His way of thinking makes an eclectic festival like Meltdown possible. With Bowie at the helm, the tenth Meltdown will possibly be the most memorable."

Previous Meltdown Directors are Robert Wyatt (2001), Scott Walker (2000), Nick Cave (1999), John Peel (1998), Laurie Anderson (1997), Magnus Lindberg (1996), Elvis Costello (1995), Louis Andriesson (1994) and George Benjamin (1993). Their programs have yielded memorable performances from an outstanding range of artists, including Blur, Radiohead, Nina Simone, Sir Les Patterson, Spalding Gray, Deborah Harry, Cornershop, Spiritualized, Lou Reed, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Max Roach, Tricky and Sonic Youth. Mini-Meltdown have also been curated by David Thomas, Daniel Miller, Julian Cope and Talvin Singh.