"The sound suits": a strange fascination with Nick Cave, with which he wants to change the world

• "Sound suits": a strange fascination with Nick Cave, with which he wants to change the world

Rock star Nick Cave is certainly a very talented person. Musician, poet, writer, author of music for films, actor, writer - this is not a complete list of his talents. Who would have thought that this lover of all black and dark can be also an unusual, bright and colorful hobby ...

The fact that in their spare time creates the so-called Cave Soundsuits ( "sound suits") - an intriguing, exciting, expressive and incredibly detailed wearable sculptures made of fabric and not only. In the course are the branches, dyed human hair, sisal, artificial fur, wire, dolls, horn, sequins, buttons, feathers and, in general, any debris. They can be considered almost infinite. But this is not their only purpose.

Nick Cave - actor, which is difficult to attribute to any particular category. He works at the intersection of sculpture, installation, performance, video, design and fashion and seeks to use his work as a stimulus for global social change.

According to the artist, his costumes provide an escape from reality and security. Whoever is inside the sound suit, completely hidden and free from discrimination. Sound like costumes to give a second skin that hides the race, gender and social status, forcing viewers to look at the "hero" without prejudice or judgment.

His first suit Nick Cave created in 1992, in response to the highly publicized case of beating a black taxi driver Rodney King by police in Los Angeles during the arrest. He collected a lot of branches and arranged them in the suit, which produces sounds when driving.

"I started to think about the role of personality, feelings of inferiority and worthlessness - says Cave. - And then I was in the park, I looked down and noticed on the ground branch. And I thought, that's it, branch, thrown and void. Then I began to collect all of these branches, and somehow accidentally have developed a sculpture. I put it on and started jumping around. I was just amazed at the stunning sound of rustling. "

Many creations Cave resemble ritual African costumes and masks.

"create animal hair sensitivity, - says Cave. - You know, it's hair, but do not know their origin. It's tempting, but at the same time a little scary. "

"I spend a lot of time at flea markets, - says the artist. - For example, I can fly to Washington, rent a car and drive back across the country, stopping at flea markets. Normally, I do not know what it was looking for. "

Nick Cave is a professor at the Chicago Institute of Art, which is called the most influential art schools in the United States. His sound suits repeatedly participated in exhibitions, including personal, received prestigious awards and are stored in the collections of the American Museum of Contemporary Art. Since 2006, it is Jack Scheinman Gallery in New York.