Nick Cave Steps Into the Spotlight

When Nick Cave was a child, his mother made sock puppets to entertain him. He later said that seeing “the transition from the sock being just a sock to it becoming my best friend” was an important influence in his work as an artist. Today Cave is famous for using found objects to share powerful messages in his work and bring people together.

When Nick Cave was little, his mom made sock puppets. He remembers seeing “the transition from the sock being just a sock to it becoming my best friend.” Today Cave is famous for using found objects, or things that aren’t originally art materials, to bring people together and share ideas.

Cave was born in 1959 in Missouri. As one of seven brothers being raised by a single mom, Cave often wore hand-me-down clothing. He used things he found around the house to alter the clothing to fit his own tastes. In the process, he developed a skill for giving new life to discarded objects.

Cave’s mother encouraged his creative interests and, after high school, he studied fiber arts in college. He also spent summer breaks studying dance through a program run by Alvin Ailey, an important Black choreographer. Back at college, when it came time to display his work, he didn’t simply drape it over mannequins. Instead, he had his friends wear it while dancing.

After graduate school, Cave moved to Chicago. Then one day in 1992, he was sitting in the park. “I just started collecting these twigs. I brought them back to the studio and started to build this object,” he recalls. “Subconsciously, yes, I knew it was a garment of some sort, but I was not thinking about it in that way. I was thinking about it as a form, as this sculpture . . . and then I realized I could put it on. The moment I put it on and started to move, it made sound.” Cave had just made his first Soundsuit—and it was the start of something big.

Cave was born in 1959 in Missouri. He was one of seven brothers raised by a single mom. He often wore hand-me-downs. Cave used things he found around the house to alter the clothes. He learned how to give discarded objects new life.

Cave’s mother encouraged his creativity. After high school, he went to college and studied fiber arts such as sewing, weaving, and fashion design. He also took summer dance classes from Alvin Ailey, a famous Black choreographer. He decided to incorporate dance into his work.

Cave later moved to Chicago. One day in 1992, he was sitting in the park. “I just started collecting these twigs,” he recalls. “I brought them back to the studio and started to build this object.” It started as a sculpture, but he realized it had become a wearable garment. “The moment I put it on and started to move, it made sound,” he says. Cave had just made his first Soundsuit.

Today Cave has created more than 500 Soundsuits. He says each acts as a suit of armor that shields the wearer from being judged by others. The artist named these sculptures Soundsuits because they make sounds when the wearer moves.

Cave’s Soundsuit, 2006, at the top of the page, includes found objects like ceramic birds and other figurines. Imagine the wearer walking toward you. What sounds would you hear? Now compare that with the swooshing sound likely made by the hairs used in the example from 2009, directly above. What noises might the twigs of Soundsuit, 2010, below, clacking against one another make?

Cave has also used discarded baskets, blankets, sweaters, bottle caps, buttons, and other objects in his Soundsuits. Building each one—and some are 10 feet tall—requires a deep level of craft akin to that of couture, or high fashion. “It’s really about building with the proper principles of how to construct and build a garment,” says Cave.

Cave has created more than 500 Soundsuits. He named them that because they make sounds when the wearer moves. Cave says each one is like a suit of armor. It protects the person wearing it from being judged by others.

Cave’s Soundsuit, 2006, is shown at the top of the page. It includes found objects like ceramic birds. Imagine someone dancing in it. What would you hear? Look at the other examples on this page, which were made in 2009 and 2010. The suit below is covered in delicate hairs. The one directly above is made of twigs. What noises might they make?

Cave has used all sorts of objects in his Soundsuits. Some Soundsuits are 10 feet tall. They require a level of craft similar to couture, or high fashion. “It’s really about building with the proper principles of how to construct and build a garment,” says Cave.

Something about the Soundsuits spoke to art critics and the public alike. But Cave wasn’t immediately comfortable with the praise and attention they brought. “Then, one day, something said, ‘Now or never,’ and I had to step into the light,” he says. Cave soon began experimenting with large-scale installations and public art, seeing them as an opportunity to connect communities.

In 2015, crowds in Detroit experienced Cave’s joyful performance art Heard Detroit, below. He crafted 30 Soundsuits to look like horses, with some suits weighing as much as 40 pounds. Two dancers worked together to bring each “horse” in the “herd” to life. Together the 60 dancers—all from local performing arts schools—danced along Detroit’s riverfront. Cave dyed raffia (a natural fiber) in a range of natural and bright colors. It shimmered and whooshed as the dancers moved, sparking wonder in his audience, just as the sock puppets had for Cave as a child.

People loved the Soundsuits. But Cave was uncomfortable with the attention this brought him. “Then, one day, something said, ‘Now or never,’” he says. “I had to step into the light.” Cave soon began to create large-scale installations and public art to bring people together.

In 2015, Cave created a joyful performance art piece called Heard Detroit, below. Cave crafted 30 Soundsuits to look like horses. He used a natural fiber called raffia. The performance took place along Detroit’s riverfront. Two dancers brought each “horse” in the “herd” to life. The colorful fibers shimmered and whooshed. It sparked wonder in the audience—just as the sock puppets had for Cave as a child.

Cave’s interest in building community and transformation drove his 2019 installation, Augment, below. He deconstructed more than 1,000 inflatable lawn decorations. Then he assembled pieces of them to create five large-scale sculptures. Look carefully. Do you recognize parts of the sculptures from holiday displays in your neighborhood? You might see a skeleton’s hand, turkey feathers, a dinosaur, or other familiar characters.

After Augment had been on display in Boston, the sculptures became the centerpiece in a 3-mile-long parade. More than 500 people joined in as the sculptures floated down city streets like typical parade balloons to a second exhibition venue. The emphasis of the event was on building community and joy.

Cave’s interest in building community inspired his 2019 installation, Augment, below. He deconstructed, or took apart, more than 1,000 inflatable lawn decorations. Then he assembled them into different forms. He created five large-scale sculptures.

Augment was displayed in Boston. Then the sculptures became the stars of a 3-mile-long parade. More than 500 people watched the sculptures float down city streets. The event was meant to bring people together and spark joy.

In 2019, Cave opened Facility, an art space in Chicago. In addition to serving as Cave’s studio, Facility is a hub for designers, architects, and other artists. It also hosts pop-up exhibitions.

Between 2021 and 2022, Cave displayed Rapt on the Mile, below. The huge vinyl mural is based on a photograph of one of Cave’s Soundsuits. Layers of color create depth and texture, as if you could touch the folds of the flower petals. The lush pattern signifies connection between humans, emphasizing how we grow and gain strength from one another’s support. This is Cave’s invitation to the world to visit Chicago.

In 2019, Cave opened an art space in Chicago called Facility. He uses it as his own studio. But it’s also open to designers, architects, and other artists.

In 2021 and 2022, Cave displayed Rapt on the Mile, below. The huge vinyl mural is based on a photo of one of Cave’s Soundsuits. Layers of color create depth and texture. Cave wanted the pattern to reflect connections between people.

Compare Cave’s 2021 A·mal·gam, below, with his Soundsuits. It is similarly figurative, but it is a static bronze statue. This 10-foot-tall sculpture began with digital scans of Cave’s body as well as of branches, birds, flowers, and other found natural forms. Then Cave used a 3-D printer to create molds of each, which were then cast in bronze and assembled.

Though reminiscent of the Soundsuits, this sculpture is not meant as a protective layer that “speaks” through movement. Instead, the towering figure’s stillness and silence with its crown of birds conveys a sense of strength and hope in the face of adversity.

Whether starting with a twig, an inflatable heart, or a discarded object, Cave infuses his materials with new meanings, creating artworks that prompt viewers to explore how we are all connected. “It doesn’t take much to shift how we experience something,” Cave says.

Cave’s 2021 work below is called A·mal·gam. Like his Soundsuits, it depicts a human figure. But rather than a garment, it’s a bronze statue. And it’s 10 feet tall! To create it, Cave began by taking a digital scan of his body. He also scanned branches, birds, flowers, and other natural forms. Then he used a 3-D printer to create molds of each one. He cast them in bronze and assembled them.

This sculpture may remind you of the Soundsuits. But there are some differences. Noise and movement are essential to the Soundsuits. This figure is silent and still. The Soundsuits protect their wearer. This figure conveys strength and hope.

Cave always gives new meanings to the materials he uses. He creates artworks that prompt viewers to explore how people are connected. “It doesn’t take much to shift how we experience something,” he says.