Wearable Art
Wearable Art, where art and the body become one. The human form becomes a canvas for the imagination of the artist/designer, to transcend fashion and move into the realm of art.
“Adorn the body in wildly wonderful ways…Celebrate creativity in lavish and unique on-stage spectaculars that inspire all.” World of Wearable Art Awards Show, Montana, New Zealand. Based on the Wearable Art Show “WOW Montana”, the Community Arts Society of Norfolk Island hosted this annual event in January. Each year has found greater levels of inspiration reached within the world of art and creativity on the catwalk.
Rawson Hall begins buzzing with anticipation and excitement from the audience, the creators of the wearable art pieces, and the models who strut the centre catwalk platform. This year, a record 45 entrants within various categories set the evening’s programme, and the audience settles into their chairs to “ooh and aah” their favourites.
Of the six categories, the largest supported was “Recyclable Material”. Entrants were restricted to create an outfit made from at least 85% used materials. If you looked closely, you could see disposable food service gloves, dressmaker’s patterns, recycled cloth nappies, bottle tops, Westpac gift cards, sardine tins, plastic bags, builder’s plastic, wine and champagne corks, hessian and nylon feed sacks, and Ferrero Rocher wrappers. The “Natural Fibre” category featured leaves, seeds, woven flax, hessian and coconut fibre. Prizes were awarded not only to the creators of the wearable art pieces, but also to the models. It was a treat just watching the young children as models, among the adult models, as they copied and danced to a chosen song, amidst bursts of applause and whistles of encouragement from family and friends in the audience!
As a grand finale for the evening, the Extravagant Open is always a favourite. This year, the theme, “Animal Fantasy”, allowed the use of any material, and imaginations were encouraged to run wild. Butterflies floated down the stage, a bumble bee dress made from a 150 black and yellow balloons buzzed along the catwalk, magical birds and little piggies danced their way up and down the platform. A hot pink creation was inspired by flamingos and peacocks, and an amazing “Sea Dragon” manoeuvred its way along the catwalk.
By hosting this event, the Community Arts allows for all ages in the local community to experiment, create, dance, perform and celebrate their handmade creations. If you’re visiting Norfolk in January, be sure to check dates so you can come along and enjoy our Wearable Art extravaganza evening. If you’re local, don’t be timid, get out there, create something dynamic and prepare to strut it!
Image Credit: Robin Nisbet
www.robinnisbet.com
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Article content disclaimer: Article first published in 2899 Magazine V1 Iss2, 2008. Please note that details of specific travel, accommodation and touring options may be outdated. References to people, places and businesses, including operating days and times may be have changed. References to Government structure and Government businesses/entities may no longer be applicable. Please check directly with businesses and/or Government websites directly rather than relying on any information contained in this article before you make travel arrangements.
