Yesterday, I went to The Fowler Museum to the see Nick Cave’s “Meet me at the Center of the Earth” and it was wonderful.  The layout of the exhibit was innovative and  it was a nice change. Instead of the traditional white gallery walls, they used scrim (a semi opaque meshed fabric) to divide the space and direct the viewer.  My favorite viewing experience was a small wall with a window where a sound suit looked out into the gallery.  It was a playful and thoughtful reference to the sense of wonder and curiosity these suits evoke.

As a theater guy – I loved it. I am very interested in how a viewer can empower an object. Once a person puts on one of these suits, they become one with it, and a new identity is formed, like when a shaman puts on a mask.  What’s so great about the show at The Fowler is that they have actual shaman costumes and masks next door in order to give a context to Cave’s work.   It’s great to see an artist whose work is focused on our connection to the world around us.  I feel that Cave’s work is in tune with Joseph Campbell’s, “The Power of Myth”. Campbell wrote that the job of myth is to put us in context with the greater world around us. I feel these sound suits are a way of understanding that.   The mystical is something that  my generation lacks, and so when an artist is speaking about this and not some shallow apathetic attempt at being clever, it is so refreshing.  So, put some good old magic and wonder back into your art life and check it out… oh and  have fun.