As part of our #LoveMyCity campaign, we\u2019ve been asking creators and influencers all across America to tell us what makes their towns so special, by using the hashtag #LoveMyCity. Pride, we feel, is something that drives culture, style, and, for us, it\u2019s the lifeblood of a maker and manufacturer. And while Nick Cave isn\u2019t from southeast Michigan \u2014 Detroit, the artist says, \u201cgave him his soul\u201d as a performer.<\/p>\n
[[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”953″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”609″,”title”:””,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”980″}}]]<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a hot day in August; Nick Cave and his creative partner, Bob Faust, have met us at the entrance to the Cranbrook Art Museum<\/a> in Bloomfield Hills, MI, to tour Cave\u2019s 7,000-square-foot solo exhibition and performance program, Here Hear<\/a><\/em>. It\u2019s hours before the final performance of Here Hear\u2019s<\/em> live dance series, Dance Lab<\/em>, the museum installation is coming to a close October 11th, and Cave is feeling nostalgic.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel we\u2019re reintroducing Detroit to Detroit,\u201d says Cave. \u201cBecause at these events we\u2019re shocked at the overwhelming support that has been coming out.\u201d<\/p>\n [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”954″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”431″,”title”:””,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”980″}}]]<\/p>\n Here Hear<\/em> is Cave\u2019s most comprehensive exhibition to date. His iconoclastic Soundsuits<\/em> \u2014 wearable sculptures that Cave and other performers dance and perform in \u2014 fill three rooms at the Cranbrook Museum of Art. The suits, each handmade with materials ranging from ceramic birds and beaded necklaces to vintage rag rugs and shoelaces, show the range of Cave\u2019s work from the last 24 years. While Cave doesn\u2019t have a favorite, Faust points to a looming totem, covered in enameled tin lids and pipe cleaners. <\/p>\n Cave built his first Soundsuit<\/em> in 1991, following the LA Riots. The Soundsuits <\/em>became a symbol for the artists\u2019 experience of feeling like a target, yet completely shrouded and unknown at the same time. The sculptures continued to ring true; a recent creation was inspired by the Trayvon Martin case last year.<\/p>\n It was almost two years ago when the Cranbrook Academy of Art and Museum called Cave to ask for a solo exhibition back on his home turf. He said he\u2019d do it, with some conditions.<\/p>\n \u201cI called them back and I said I will do it only if I can work in Detroit,\u201d says Cave. \u201cWe started planning and coming here and scouting out the city, and really coming up with a game plan of what it means to work as an artist with a civic sort of responsibility and using art as a vehicle for change.\u201d<\/p>\n [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”955″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”574″,”title”:””,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”980″}}]]<\/p>\n Cave and Faust have organized over 20 performances around the city of Detroit utilizing the Soundsuits<\/em>. Cave himself has donned the sculptures for a series of invasion-style photoshoots throughout Detroit. Most recently, the suits were given to local dancers and groups to experiment with and create their own work.<\/p>\n \u201cHoney, I\u2019ve been doing parades and stuff since I was a little boy, pulling people together in the neighborhood and creating some sort of thing,\u201d says Cave. \u201cIt has always been part of how I work. I\u2019m always interested in the possibility of collaboration; who\u2019s willing to come on board and make a spectacle. It\u2019s really how I operate.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDetroit is open in that way,\u201d adds Faust. \u201cThis scale, this amount of outreach, this timeframe, could never have happened in another city,\u201d says Faust. \u201cDetroit is a place for creative entrepreneurs, and there\u2019s a bit of Wild West going on. If you wanna make it happen, you can.\u201d<\/p>\n [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”956″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”418″,”title”:””,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”980″}}]]<\/p>\n Faust and Cave lead us beyond the collection of Soundsuits<\/em> new and old, to the costume closet in the Map In Action room<\/em>. This is the hub for Cave\u2019s performances and outreach and houses the furry tops, horse heads, and beaded jumpsuits that Cave and his team have lent out to local performers for Dance Labs. <\/p>\n Cranbrook is located in Bloomfield Hills, and though it is only 20 miles from downtown Detroit, the distance was palpable for Cave. While living in Bloomfield Hills, the City of Detroit was a source of inspiration, and a savior. <\/p>\n \u201cWithout Detroit, I don\u2019t know if I could\u2019ve done this,\u201d says Cave. \u201cBeing the only minority here was shocking to me. Cranbrook provided my intellect, Detroit provided my soul. The balance was critical.\u201d<\/p>\n In Cave\u2019s view, the Detroit that nourished him in 1987 is not so different than the one he sees today, and the one that inspired him to come back for this project.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really feels like it does when I was here in the eighties, just young, creative people, making a commitment to the future of the city,\u201d says Cave. \u201cThey\u2019re there for the interest of the city, they\u2019re there for the long haul.\u201d<\/p>\n [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_original”,”fid”:”957″,”attributes”:{“alt”:””,”class”:”media-image”,”height”:”1512″,”title”:””,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”width”:”980″}}]]<\/p>\n Here Hear<\/a><\/strong> ends on October 11th. See more photos from Cave and Faust\u2019s #LoveMyCity campaign on Pinterest<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As part of our #LoveMyCity campaign, we\u2019ve been asking creators and influencers all across America to tell us what makes their towns so special, by using the hashtag #LoveMyCity. Pride, we feel, is something that drives culture, style, and, for us, it\u2019s the lifeblood of a maker and manufacturer. And while Nick Cave isn\u2019t from […]<\/p>\n