Soundsuit, 2009 by Nick Cave

Art is terribly personal. What speaks to one of us does nothing for the next. This is a premise that we hold dear at Artful Home. Nowhere is that more true than in the differences in music preferences among different generations. I have absolutely no idea why my 20 year old daughter is attracted to the music to which she listens, and, in fact, have no idea how she is able to stand it! And she feels exactly the same way about my choices.

Yet, together, my daughter and I attend many art shows, and this week we both had our socks knocked off by the show of Nick Cave’s “Soundsuits” at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. (This is NOT Nick Cave the musician, again, one of my daughter’s choices, but rather Nick Cave the Chicago artist.)

We are both attracted to all things textile and are always looking for adventurers in the world of fashion and art. Cave is an artist whose work is hard to describe, and about whom I hate to narrow a definition. Having worked professionally as both a fashion designer as well as a dancer for the Alvin Ailey company, Cave’s work clearly references the body, clothing, and movement. These riotously coloured soundsuits embrace and use all types of textile art techniques, including beading, knitting, basketry, quilting, and sewing, with materials as diverse as fabrics, beads, sequins, old bottle caps, rusted iron, sticks, twigs, leaves and hair. Mad, humorous, elaborate, grotesque, glamorous and unexpected but the work could never be narrowly defined as “craft” nor just as art to wear. His deftly sculpted armatures provide structure and form for these heavily embellished garments which are equally reminiscent of African and religious costumes as they are haute couture. Displayed inanimately in the large light-filled gallery, you can easily imagine the forms coming to life, yet you have the opportunity to examine the obsessively detailed figures. Entire suits covered in multi-colored buttons are meant to dazzle the eye and tickle the ear when worn. Giant shaggy beast-like suits in vivid colors resembling traditional Bokhara cloth turn out to be made entirely of dyed human hair, which sounds gross but in person is not in the least.

Understanding the works, however, would be incomplete without seeing these suits in action, and one room of the show contains a video installation of the work on body in motion. Elegant and amusing, ritualistic and invasive, these suits take on completely new personalities when worn, when danced in, when encountering normal street life, when creating their own demonstration. Luckily for all of us, YouTube exists and you can see them, too.

Log Vase by Dina Angel-Wing

Infinitely changeable still-life compositions are one of the most enjoyable ways to integrate artwork into your home. This ikebana vase encourages playfulness. Its complex sculptural form creates a balance with larger elements in the room and allows for an unending variety of compositions incorporating natural materials. At the same time, the floral and stoneware arrangement brings nature indoors.