By Deidra Wheeler
Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer
SMYRNA - On March 10, 2018, I drove to downtown Nashville to visit the Frist Center. I conducted some research before going through the entrance of the museum to see what kind of exhibitions they had that were open to the public.
Knowing me, I picked the exhibit that had the most colors, the exhibit "Nick Cave: FEAT." I was hoping to visit that exhibit first, because it had more color, and I would be more engaged.
Nick Cave, the artist not the singer, is very popular for the construction of his fullbody soundsuits. These suits were one of the first things that I saw as soon as I walked into Cave’s exhibit. It was very odd seeing all these items attached to the materials on the mannequins, but it was very interesting.
There were eight soundsuits total, and they were all different. I say this, because they were made out of different items, colors, materials and even textures. I noticed one that had a lot of fur wigs hanging from the top of the mannequin. I wanted to feel some of the fur, but I knew I couldn’t do that. I knew had to be at least three or more feet away from the artwork. Besides, there was a security guard already keeping an eye on me, because I had a large purse with me.
If you want to find out more information about Cave, click here: http://www.jackshainman.com/artists/nick-cave/.
I looked at Cave’s artwork and wondered why he came up with this type of thing. The reasoning behind why Cave makes these soundsuits has an in depth meaning. These suits open up a new perspective in a collective, universal experience by hiding visible signs of race, class and gender. Originally, they were made from layers of metal, plastic, fabric, hair, found objects, and other things that rub together to make noise. That is where they got the name, “soundsuits.”
In a way, I thought I could relate to Cave’s soundsuits. I love to create my own clothes, specifically making my own tie-dye. Ever since I was little, I was in love with all of the designs and colors. They were just so vibrant and intriguing, I couldn’t keep my eyes off them. Each pattern I make never matches the ones that I have done before.
For an example, if you and I were to make a t-shirt with a spiral pattern design, mine would be different from yours, because of the way we wrap or band the shirt before dying it. Also, we might have decided to use different colors. We would have to be machines to make a perfectly dyed shirt.
I don’t personally have a name for the clothes that I make, and I don’t have my own company or business. I like to keep my creations personal. They mean a lot to me, because of all the time, effort and money that I put into them. I can’t imagine the time Cave spent to make these soundsuits. Cave sewed and attached everything by hand. As a visual arts designer, I can definitely see the process of attaching or placing something then removing it, because the placement doesn’t seem to look right. It is the exact same thing with tie-dye.
As I am prepping my piece of work (tying the fabric), I place and remove the different sections of rubber bands or string to make sure the designs appear perfectly after applying the dye. After that, I carefully apply the dyed solution to the sections. If I pour some dye into a section that wasn’t supposed to have that color, I just keep going with the flow.
Even though I may not like something that I did before, there is always a chance that I may like it after. The process becomes difficult, because I am dealing with permanent substances. I can imagine that Cave felt the same way. He had to pick a style, sort what items he wanted to use, and create designs that he wanted to portray. It doesn’t get easy, but I learned that your own practice makes your own kind of perfect. I don’t ever get frustrated during the whole tie-dying process, because I know that I’ve made this piece of work, and I know that I’m going to be the one wearing this piece of work.
Aside from designing my own clothes, no matter who is wearing the soundsuits, a viewer can’t depict their identity. Therefore, that leaves the viewer to create no judgement about the person wearing the suit. The only thing that a viewer would notice is the size of the person wearing the suits. Cave designed them to fit his body structure.
I feel a similar way of why I create my tie-dye. Personally, when I wear my tie-dye, I feel no judgement from others. I am comfortable in my own art. It is a weird way of putting it like that, but I just feel calmer in colors. I know I have my days where I don’t have anything colorful on at all, but sometimes a girl has to do laundry.
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