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Nick Cave

Soundsuit

Maker

Nick Cave (American, b.1959)

Title

Soundsuit

Year

2006

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

paint, wood, lint

Supports

Geography

Place Made: Western

Dimensions

221 x 76.2 x 53.3 cm (87 x 30 x 21 inches) (overall)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2007.11

Type

Publications

  • Journal

Manual / Issue 14: Shadows

The RISD Museum’s fourteenth issue of Manual shines a light on the shadow, centering the black body as a site of possibility, liberatory self-awareness, radical non-conformity, and joyful defiance. This issue serves as a companion to the exhibition Defying the Shadow.

Manual 14: Shadows opens with an excerpt on the shadow from W. E. B. Du Bois’s The Souls of Black Folk, followed by an introduction by Dr. Anita N. Bateman, who elucidates: “Operating in the shadow comes with a legacy of resistance, both in spiritual and ideological forms.”

Articles

Learning to Look Without Judgment

Exhibition History

The Figure
Contemporary Works from the Collection
Mar 12, 2010 – Mar 03, 2011

Label copy

Nick Cave’s elaborate, wearable sculpture is crafted from an assortment of found materials ranging from driftwood to dryer lint. It belongs to his series of “Soundsuits,” which are all made from recycled materials and resonate with sounds produced by these materials when the suits are worn. Evoking African ceremonial costumes as well as haute couture, the suit can be seen as a physical manifestation of the artist’s inner spirit. When worn, it acts as a disguise that enables the wearer to escape notions of race, gender, class, and sexuality.

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Tombstone

Nick Cave (American, b.1959)
Soundsuit, 2006
Found knit sweaters, socks, driftwood, dryer lint, and paint
221 x 76.2 x 53.3 cm (87 x 30 x 21 inches) (overall)
Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2007.11

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