Nick Cave

I had heard about Nick Caves's art before going to see his exhibit at the BAM, but I don't think you can appreciate his sound suites until you see them in person. On second thought, I don't think you can really appreciate them until you hear them or see them as they were intended to be seen, in motion.

Although I didn't get a chance to see them move in person, I did watch a few short clips of them in action. I would recommend you do the same here.

'soundsuit', 2011
121 x 42 x 33 inches

Obviously there was a lot of care and work that went into each suite. The craftsmanship is truly remarkable. All the details are hand sewn and not glued. Nick combines modern dance and textiles in a unique expression of art. He actually came upon the idea for his sound suites by accident. He had gathered sticks in a park to create a suit, but didn't realize it's musical qualities until he put it on and moved around.

'soundsuit', 2011
mixed media
121 x 42 x 33 inches

Many of the suites have a tribal quality to them, especial when the are danced in. Nick once said in an interview that “When I was inside a suit, you couldn’t tell if I was a woman or man; if I was black, red, green or orange; from Haiti or South Africa,” he said. “I was no longer Nick. I was a shaman of sorts.” I think it's an important part of these suites that they are gender neutral. The focus is able to be put on the motion and sound and not on the person.

Polar Bear, 2009 

Foam taxidermy models,appliquéd found knitted and crocheted fabric 

96h x 30w x 45d in.

I have to say that seeing the sound suites in person but motionless added a unique perspective to the work. The manikins that the suites were displayed on were so life like that I kept expecting them to leap off there pedestals at any moment. The expectation of spontaneous movement added an excitement to the viewing. I'm glad I had the opportunity to see Nick Caves exhibition.


"I was always interested in movement,but I knew I didn’t want to devote myself exclusively to dance. I wanted to bridge dance and art.”
Nick Cave