Soundsuit, 1997 [Enlarge in New Window]

Nick Cave: Drop: Soundsuits in Degrees of Observation

Nick Cave has always made art. As a kid growing up in Missouri and watching pop star Michael Jackson on television, he said once to his mother, "I am going to be a famous artist. Not dancer. Not performer. Just Artist."

It turns out the boy spoke the truth. What's more, the art for which he is known today is as unique as it gets. Cave creates what he calls "Soundsuits." Unlike anything in your local men's shop, these are sculpted suits made from found materials of plastic and metal, and designed to rattle and resonate with expressive body movement. Their surfaces are layered, sensual, visceral, and electric, covering the wearer (usually Cave himself) from head to toe to resemble a Sasquatch-like creature or perhaps a prickly Michelin man (the tire mascot). Like a coat of armor, the Soundsuits embellish the body while protecting it from the outside world. The wearable art pieces are an extension of Cave's high fashion line of clothing for women, sold out of his boutique and studio.

Projecting his innate flair for style and showmanship, these percussive suits are the centerpiece of Cave's latest project, Drop: Soundsuits in Degrees of Observation, a performance parade involving 10 dancers, musicians, a video artist, and 60 of his original sculptured Soundsuits. One underlying theme in this piece is the nature of aggressive behavior in contemporary society. According to Cave, "The suits are a manifestation of the fact that we must on occasion project aggressive behavior in order to be seen and heard." But unlike yelling or rude physical gestures, these clanging suits are wonderfully musical. While Cave will have additional musicians present, he explains, "no music is necessary; when worn, the Soundsuits create their own orchestra of sound."

With Drop, Cave straddles the fence between conceptual and visceral art. It is his ambition "to bring the two forms together, where the fine art installation-based work -- the sculptural object -- will come together with the performance aspect and create a larger presentation that speaks about our social environment." Drop will be completed in 2003 for a premiere at the Hand Art Workshop Center in Richmond, Virginia. It will also involve residencies with Chicago public schools and exhibitions at the American Craft Museum and Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo.

Currently a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Cave says his approach to each project is unpredictable. He does not sketch his ideas out, and in fact believes he is not really responsible for the outcome of the work, but considers himself to be merely a messenger. "I surrender to the force that guides me," he says. As Cave sees it, "We all know what our roles are in the world. We just have to open ourselves up to acceptance. Once we do that, then we are able to have an amazing sort of journey."

Cave's own journey includes exhibitions of his assemblage sculptures in New York at the American Craft Museum, in Amsterdam at The Arts Connexion, and in Hannover, Germany at the Kestener Museum. Drop and the magical parade of Soundsuits promises to continue the memorable journey.

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THIS PROJECT'S CATEGORIES: Performance > Performance Art / Theater / Spoken Word | African American Themes | The Human Animal | Environment | History | 2002