Nick Cave

Nick Cave is an artist, performer and Director of the Chicago Art Institute's fashion program. Pictured are some of his soundsuits - wearable mixed media sculptures that incorporate various materials, fibres and ephemera in order to create human slips that not only connote various contemporary ideas but more obviously - create sounds unique to each garment and their activation/wearer's movement.

Apparently Cave came upon this idea sitting in a park, following the Rodney King controversy, contemplating his position within society as an African American man, artist, performer and human being. Here the artist discovered the humble twig as an inspriational device, one that he adapted through cutting and drilling and sewing together. He felt a relativity to this discarded yet indeed important natural element which lead to the birth of the first soundsuit- an object that allowed the artist to perform behind an elaborate veil.

I find Cave's meticulous use of ephemera/found object and textiles to be utterly inspiring, the textures, hues and scale are rather overwhelming and incredibly fantastical, reminiscing childhood daydreams and nightmares alike. Here the artist amalgamates ideas associated with textile production and handcrafts, whilst assimilating the modern preoccupation with the inclusion of found object to facilitate a dialogue pertaining to rather adult subjects, shadowed by childlike naivety and awe therefore I believe making the message even more poignant.