Dance Your Way Into a Soundsuit at Nick Cave Open Call

Update: Registration for the open call was full as of February 4. Good luck to all the participants! The public tryouts will occur during Untitled on February 22. See more details below.

I am back from a visit to Nick Cave’s studio, where he and his assistants are (incredibly) busy creating a slew of intricate new Soundsuits. Stitch by stitch, button by button, strand by strand, twig by twig, they are coming together for his upcoming exhibition at the Denver Art Museum, Nick Cave: Sojourn.

Cave’s Soundsuits are elaborate, intricate sculptures for the body, and they are whimsical and otherworldly. They, along with the new and equally scintillating sculptural works that will be installed on level two of the Hamilton Building when the exhibition opens on June 9, are sheer delight for the eyes and ears. Do a quick Google image search for a veritable Soundsuit parade. We’re counting the days (T-156) until Cave’s unprecedented Soundsuit performance here at the DAM on June 28. Check out this video to get a tiny taste of what to expect—though the spectacle is sure to defy expectations.

A delight for the eyes and ears and, for 10-15 lucky Coloradans, a delight for the body: Cave will select 10–15 lucky ducks to join him and a few local collaborating dance groups in embodying his wearable sculptures and bringing them to life at the June 28 performance. I can only imagine what it must feel and sound like to slip into a sculpture suit adorned with tiny twigs that sway and whisper as they submit to the body’s movements.

Think you might have what it takes to bring a Soundsuit to life? Friday, February 22, might be your lucky day! Nick Cave is holding an open call at Untitled #54 (Turf), inviting locals to audition for a slot to perform in a Soundsuit at the June 28 performance. Registration for the 120 audition slots opens on Friday, February 1, at 10 am on our website.

Sign up to dance to your heart’s content, show Nick Cave what you got, and you might be onstage at the DAM for the Nick Cave Soundsuit performance on June 28!

Image credit: Nick Cave, Soundsuit, 2009. Human hair. Photo courtesy of Nick Cave and the Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. © The Artist.