'Soundsuits': Nick Cave's Very Strange Passion That He Wants to Change the World With

Rock star Nick Cave's namesake (born February 4, 1959 in Fulton, Missouri) creates Soundsuits - intriguing, immersive, expressive and incredibly detailed wearable sculptures made from fabric and more. They use branches, dyed human hair, sisal, faux fur, wire, dolls, antlers, glitter, buttons, feathers and basically any kind of trash. You can look at them almost endlessly. But that's not their only purpose.

Nick Cave is an artist who is difficult to categorise. He works at the intersection of sculpture, installation, performance, video, design and fashion, and aims to use his work as a catalyst for global social change.

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

Nick Cave created his first costume back in 1992, as a response to the highly publicized case of black taxi driver Rodney King being beaten by Los Angeles police officers during his arrest. He collected many branches and organized them into a costume that made sounds when moving.

Many of Cave's creations are reminiscent of African ritual costumes and masks.

Nick Cave is a lecturer at the Art Institute of Chicago, which is called the most influential art school in the United States. His sound suits have been exhibited many times, including solo ones, have received prestigious awards and are kept in the collections of American museums of modern art. Since 2006, he has been represented by the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York.