By: Erica Morales-Menacho (Fall, 2015)
Nick Cave is a contemporary performance artist and fashion designer. His body of work can only be described simply as unworldly. Seeing his art is like taking a step outside of the real world and entering a dream full of fantastical creatures. His most famous pieces of work are his Soundsuits, a collection of mobile sculptures created between 2008 and 2010. The Soundsuits are made with an extensive array of media that Cave often gets from thrift stores. Common objects used are fabrics, beads, buttons, wood, and artificial hair. The suits act as costumes, completely covering the identity of the wearer and based on Cave’s own body dimensions. Nick Cave’s suits are a primary example of what contemporary art includes, performance wise. His art meshes sculpture and fashion in a way that is beautiful and if nothing else, amazing to look at.
Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2008-2010
The Soundsuits take the human form and transform it into something fantastical and bizarre. “Soundsuits camouflage the body, masking and creating a second skin that conceals race, gender, and class, forcing the viewer to look without judgment.” (Jack Shainman Gallery) These interesting suits block out all distinguishing features that could make a viewer have any preconceived notions or ideas regarding those who wear the suits. This makes the ambiguous suits only appear half-human, as if they are creatures from a dream or other world. Perhaps that’s what makes Soundsuits so inspirational and thought-provoking. It’s impossible to know who wears the suit, it is only known that there is someone encased in it. Someone, a man or a woman, an African-American or an Asian. Someone who could be anyone, but nothing about them is known. They are simply human. Even though the suits look animalistic, they still somehow make all the wearers equal because the only thing that is known about all the wearers is that they are human.
There are quite a few Soundsuits, which are made from different media. There are ones that are much more fluid and based on motion, such as those clad in tassels and artificial hair, causing them to sway when the wearer moves. Others live up to their name as Soundsuits and produce sounds with motion such as ones made with twigs, bells, or other materials. Cave also uses shapes and patterns to add a geometric aesthetic to his projects. These geometric patterns also make an appearance in his fashion line, used to adorn leggings and other articles of clothing. No one of his suits is exactly like another, the textures and framework of each one differing in media and color palette. Some are decorated in bright colors to catch the viewer’s eye, others have a simpler color palette but instead have an interesting piece or framework that brings character to the entire suit; such as the “spacemen” suits or the suit that uses an abacus as the “face” of the suit.
Cave had always had a family that supported his interest in art and design. Cave has stated that his childhood circumstances greatly influenced his creative process. After graduating Kansas City Art institute in 1977, he made his own fashion line and helped decorate displays for department store, Macy’s (History Makers Interview, 2004). Up until then, Cave already had a passion for art and fashion. However, his idea for the famous Soundsuits didn’t come until later. “In 1992, the artistic talent created his first Soundsuit out of twigs, inspired by the LAPD beating of African-American construction worker Rodney King,” (Nick Cave on the Inspiration behind his Amazing Soundsuits). After he made the first sculpture, Cave realized that the twigs were ‘wearable’ and found the sound that the twigs made against one another ‘magical’. This inspired his collection of Soundsuits later in 2008. Cave explains in an interview his process in finding materials for his suits, “It is based on feeling, an emotion. I collect materials and objects that speak to me. It is through play and familiarity that I find the juxtapositions of color, texture, form, and meaning that my patterns are born.” (Nick Cave on the Inspiration behind his Amazing Soundsuits). Cave also adds musical themes to his artwork, there are videos of models wearing Soundsuits and dancing in a ritualistic and carefree way to rhythmic music. Cave used to work at a dance studio when he was still studying, so it is very possible that that experience gave him the idea to incorporate dance and music into his artworks. Cave’s pieces have so many different elements that are put into them, that they are truly one of a kind. His art is an experience, it is seen, heard, and felt.
Nick Cave’s art is very singular in the way it brings sculpture and fashion together and translates it into performance. His art is considered performance art because of the way his astronomical sculptures come to life. “Whether Nick Cave’s efforts qualify as fashion, body art or sculpture, and almost regardless of what you ultimately think of them, they fall squarely under the heading of Must Be Seen to Be Believed,” (Smith, Art in Review). His art is unique because it simply hasn’t been done the way he’s done it or at the magnitude he’s done it in. He’s inspired many from both the fashion industry and the art world. His costumes are the perfect balance of reality and fantasy, making them thought provoking and downright beautiful. Nick Cave is not only an artist, but he’s a teacher who inspires and opens the imagination of many. This is what makes both him and his Soundsuits significant to contemporary art and the art world.
Works Cited
“Nick Cave – Jack Shainman Gallery.” Nick Cave – Jack Shainman Gallery. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
“Nick Cave | The HistoryMakers.” Nick Cave | The HistoryMakers. 22 July 2004. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
“Nick Cave On The Inspiration Behind His Amazing Soundsuits.” Refinery29. Web. 8 Dec. 2015
Smith, Roberta. “Art in Review; Nick Cave — Soundsuits.” Art in Review. 3 Nov. 2006. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
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