Modern Art. Sequins. Birds. Extravagance. Michael Jackson. These are a few words that rush to the mind when one comes across this particular mannequin by Nick Cave. There is a sense of chaos to the sculpture. A sense of jungle-like grandeur. It is fascinating how the mannequin successfully presents various elements each time a person looks at it. When one looks away for a few seconds and then looks back again, they don’t see the same toy or string of beads. This uniquely designed sculpture qualifies for everything indigenous, yet urban. It has all elements that are naturalistic along with the elements that are abstract. Maybe it is true that the artist, Nick Cave, like himself, wanted to make this mannequin as diverse as possible.
This sculpture, owing to its powder blue trumpet, is called “Soundsuit.” Exactly how the two words that make up the title suggest, this is a mannequin clad in a body suit, which minus the bust, has a plain light blue trumpet instead. The Soundsuits—named for the sounds made when worn by performers—conceal and transform identity, race, and gender while encouraging movement and creating noise that reflects their chosen materials and construction. This mannequin forces chaos in the mind just as it looks like a mix and match of elements, fabrics and techniques.
While embracing every aspect that modern art is in this generation, this mannequin is a perfect blend of fashion and art. With a bodysuit and a knit sweater that looks wearable, its intricate details cannot be ignored. Sequins and beads are integral, which spin their own story as they are stitched and tangled against each other. Cave has successfully executed a combination of different objects, prints and fabrics in his piece of art. With not only traditional style knitting, Cave has used ceramic elements in the soundsuit. As tribal as the mannequin looks, something about it gives it a modern take; as if this man came out of a discotheque from the 1970s and the trumpet is the medium to the psychedelic music he so boldly busts a move to.
One can go on for hours observing just the bodysuit and knit pullover of this masterpiece. What is really intriguing is how without even attempting to cover other areas of the mannequin, the artist has decided to put a pair of socks underneath the sheer bodysuit. The multi-colored knee high socks that the mannequin wears is a particularly interesting characteristic because it cannot just be an attempt to save the mannequin from getting cold. It means so much more. This is a style statement. This is what fashion means in its purest of essence. The socks serve fashion as a statement but is also utilitarian. It does not depend on what somebody is doing, saying or wearing. It is all about what you are doing, what you are saying and what you are wearing. That is how trends are born. And one wouldn’t be surprised if this is the “next big thing” in the fashion trend frontier.
At first, the flock of birds, the flowers and the trumpet look like a “headpiece”. They look like a face, like an identity of the mannequin. Just like our mind is another entity with an array of ideas, this mannequin’s mind is a flock of different species of birds, encompassing inside them an idea. Just like our mind is a cage of thoughts and dreams, the mannequin’s face is a dream-like nest of coherence, coexistence and harmony. The flowers which are placed here and there, are flowers of different kinds, as well, which represent how beautifully God has created this world, where every element, no matter how different, can breath and give life. It is beautiful how the artist has portrayed his inspiration from the nature and the environment.
He connects each bird and flower to the trumpet and with one another with beads, as if they were the veins that carry blood. While the variety of birds symbolize a birdhouse, a dream house the world aspires to become, the pastel blue trumpet is the world’s voice of reason, the music everyone owes their sanity to, and the common language that each human being bonds over. The mannequin looks like a tree, but it is interesting to see how the lower portion of the mannequin is green, while the upper portion is brown. It is a play of colors.
Every element of the mannequin is about an aspect of the nature. The sheer bodysuit, with green, yellow and white patches, are embodiments of the leaves around us. The brown, red, yellow and white depicts the barks of the trees that are the pillar to them, just like our torso or abdomen is a pillar to the human body. As yoga explains it, the navel, which is located in the abdomen, is the most important point in the whole body when it comes to energy management and body sustenance. Just as the trunk of the tree helps in the flow of life supporting ingredients throughout the tree, the trunk of the body helps in the flow of life and energy throughout the body. The mannequin also has closed fists. As we move up the mannequin, the most striking element is definitely the trumpet, because it provides such a beautiful contrast to the object. All the other colors used in the sculpture are bright and fancy. But the powder blue color of the trumpet stands out extraordinarily amongst its vivid and intense background. It is also amusing how the trumpet has absolutely no decoration, carving or painting on it. The trumpet has been left in its true form against a heavily ornamental setting.
Whether it is Modern Art, fusion work or simply an eccentric imagination, this 10' 1" x 42" x 33" mannequin created in 2011 is one of its kind. With a lot of its elements similar to the work of the late designer and visionary, Alexander McQueen, Nick Cave has given this mannequin an exceptional gift of being ahead of its time, with sheer bodysuits with socks and fancy knitted jumpers. It reminds me of another late artist, who charmed us all with not only his music and persona, but his fashion sense and love for sequins. Michael Jackson would proudly own this garment and it would be a treat to the eyes for artists and designers all over the world to see Michael Jackson sporting it so effortlessly.
When you see this mannequin, you just know that nobody could carry this outfit better than Michael Jackson. Although standing in an ordinary upright position, this mannequin shows flare and movement. The beads and branch-like elements coming out of the bust of the mannequin, along with the birds facing all angles and the flowers in various positions, show grand gestures and flow. As a whole, this mannequin is a play on sensory experiences, either directly or indirectly. The trumpet is a magnet for the ears, and the different textures of the fabric and the objects placed on the headgear is overwhelming to the touch, but a good kind of overwhelming.
Drawing inspiration from the brutal beating of Rodney King in 1991, the “Soundsuit” has become increasingly relevant in the wake of the violence against African Americans and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. It acts as a shout out to the brutality and tragic events of the past, while being a medium to express personal feelings. This artwork is like a getaway into a parallel universe, where one can be of any gender or race, and it would not matter because they are covered by this beautiful piece of contemporary art.
Dan Cameron, a New York based curator also praised the way Mr. Cave connects “static objects in a museum space with human movement.” The “Soundsuit” is like an orchestra where each element plays a tune of its own. The ceramic toys could be the low pitched sounds, the clothes and the beads could be the high pitched sounds and the trumpet could bring them all together. As a part of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art and the noise against racism, this mannequin takes the audience to a place in the jungle where peace is the agenda, and love is the language. It is true that “You don’t see art. You experience it.”
