Higher Repurpose

Nick Cave didn’t decide to call his artworks “Soundsuits” until he climbed into one and started moving around. Then, the former Alvin Ailey dancer (no relation to the cult musician) liked what he heard: a swishy, ritualistic, twiggy noise. It sounded like that because he made this particular piece out of hundreds, maybe thousands, of twigs, which he painstakingly affixed to yards of fabric. And it’s not so much a suit of twigs as something you don for a pagan celebration in Norway. It does produce a nice sound, but it’s primarily a visual feast. So is every one of his Soundsuits, which span a dizzying array of styles, from Broadway costume, couture, and ritual garb to Saturday-morning cartoons, with a light dusting of LSD over everything. The materials, too, are fascinating: Everything is scavenged, found, repurposed from culture and nature both, from beads and bottle caps to leaves and hair. It’s all over the top, but also impeccably finished.

Related Content

• Dark Wave
  November 17, 2011
• Celebrate National Novel Writing Month with Five Musician/Novelists
  November 1, 2011
• Grinderman: Grinderman 2
  October 5, 2010
• The Sowing of The Bad Seeds, Part Three: Third Set of Nick Cave and Band's Catalog Reissues
  June 3, 2011
• The Sowing of the Bad Seeds, Part Two: Second Set of Nick Cave and Band's Catalog Reissues
  June 30, 2010

More About

• Nick Cave
• Alvin Ailey

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

The “Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth” traveling exhibit marks the largest collection of his works to date, with more than 50 towering creations strewn about the gallery space like a mad fashion house, with videos of the suits doing what they were meant to do: produce sound, which results from the materials rubbing together when their hosts dance.