soundsuit sculptures by nick cave

‘soundsuit’, 2011 by nick cave mixed media 86 x 48 x 39 inches all images by james prinz, chicago and courtesy of the artist and jack shainman gallery, new york

designboom has received images of american performance artist and fabric sculptor nick cave’s most recent ‘soundsuit‘ pieces. originally from missouri, now based in chicago, USA, the artist has been creating intricate wearable sculptures for nearly twenty years. each piece is formed from an wide array of materials obtained from various locales. cave brings elements such as sequins, twigs, feathers, knit pieces, buttons, beads, wire, metal, human hair and voodoo dolls to his collection of vibrant human-scale works. cave, having worked as a dancer, training with alvin ailey american dance theater in new york city, incorporates this appreciation of human form and movement in the development of his soundsuits. the pieces are intended to be worn, the whimsical quality of each ensemble is further enhanced by the dynamism of the person inside the elaborate outfit.

nick cave’s elaborate soundsuits are now on show at the cincinnati art museum in cincinnati, ohio, USA until april 29th, 2012. the installation, entitled ‘nick cave: meet me at the center of the earth’, is the largest scale representation of the artist’s body of work to date.

‘soundsuit’, 2011 knits and appliqué, metal armature, vintage black faced voodoo dolls, black bugle beads , and mannequin 120 x 36 x 24 inches

detailed view of voodoo dolls from the soundsuit featured above

‘soundsuit’, 2011 mixed media 110 x 36 x 32 inches

plastic toys, bright beads, knitwear and pipe cleaners cover the surface of the piece

‘soundsuit’, 2011 mixed media 121 x 42 x 33 inches

a close view of the ceramic sculptures and beads decorating a soundsuit

‘soundsuit’, 2011 mixed media 114 x 35 x 35 inches

‘soundsuit’, 2011 mixed media

‘speak louder’, 2011 buttons, wire, bugle beads, upholstery, and mannequin

‘nick cave soundsuits’ by prinz digital (2009) pictures the artist manufacturing these elaborate costumes