World of Wearable Art
The World of Wearable Art as an event began as a fascinating idea in the mind of Nelson artist Suzie Moncrieff. It was an idea which took art from the walls and wrapped it around models. It was in 1987 that the original show was presented in a community hall with prize money donated by a local cafe owner. It soon became a fixture on the local calendar, then moved to Wellington where it has become its own fabulous machine.
The show is now a brand, and an international event. It is a two-hour performance full of dreams, surrealism, humour, the macabre and the fantastic. Upwards of 170 creations are shown and a crew of 400 attends to all the details of lighting, sound, choreography and stage management. It is seen live by 50,000 people, and a press contingent ensures the world can partake in the magic as entrants come from over twenty countries.
Underpinning the show is the use of categories, like chapters in a book. These categories ensure a storyline to the show and give the audience a sense of continuity. They are presented with astounding set-dressing and have supporting casts. They are embroidered with light shows, apt music, and small theatrical vignettes. The categories proceed seamlessly: dream-time rather than clock-time. The stage focuses the audience’s attention, then occasionally breaks it with mini-performances in other places around the auditorium – high up on wires, or at the edge of balconies.
The show is essentially a competition. Each category will have a winner, and there is an overall winner with substantial prize money and publicity on an international scale. The publicity is curated by the show’s organisers, resulting in the best photos and video footage being released. The quality of the images is homage to the amount of work put into the entries by the competitors.
This photo shows the WETA award winner for 2010 – Put A Cork In It by Sean Purucker. Purucker sent his entry in from California where he has worked as an artist for Universal Studios. That entries arrive from all over the world is testament to the show’s brilliance and stature.
