When many people think of Nick Cave, they may immediately think of The Bad Seeds and The Birthday Party, rock music’s reigning “Prince of Darkness,” whose death-obsessed lyrics and dark baritone voice have made him a staple among lovers of the post-punk era. But there’s another Nick Cave, arguably as important to the cultural landscape, who’s perhaps not received the attention he’s deserved. That is about to change this summer, as the latter — an American fabric sculptor, dancer, and performance artist — will debut his largest show of work to date, here in Detroit.
Here Hear opens next Saturday at the Cranbrook Art Museum and kicks off a series of Nick Cave-related events that spans the remainder of the year. These include Dance Labs, in which Cave will pair three local dance companies with three groups of musicians to create their own choreographed works with his extraordinary sculptures at MOCAD. In addition, Nick Cave has conceived of Up Right Detroit, a new performance with participants from the Ruth Ellis Center, a nonprofit working with LGBTQ youth and young adults in Metro Detroit experiencing significant barriers to housing, health and wellness.
Heard•Detroit, a procession of as many as 30 life-size horse sculptures operated by 60 high-school dancers along the Detroit riverfront, takes place September 26, and continues Nick Cave’s most well-known project. These events will culminate in a piece entitled Figure This: Detroit, which will take place at The Masonic Temple on October 4. This final large-scale performance will be a free event comprising the work from the earlier components of the series.
As a teaser for the many activities to come, local filmmaking duo The Right Brothers have created a trailer, which premiered on Vogue and shows Cave’s famous Soundsuits traveling through Detroit’s iconic spaces. According to Andrew Miller of The Right Brothers:
“We originally were asked to just film some behind the scenes footage of the photo shoot Cranbrook was doing, but that has grown into not only the exhibition trailer, but we’re also creating a film that will be on display in the exhibition. Nick Cave is incredible to work with; it’s really refreshing to collaborate so freely with such an accomplished international artist. I’m really excited about what we’re getting into this summer with Here Hear.“
For more information on all of the exhibition’s festivities, visit Cranbrook Art Museum’s official site Watch the trailer for Here Hear below: