PHOTO COURTESY OF WORLD OF WEARABLEART LIMITED
Pictured is “Chica Under Glass” by Peter Wakeman of New Zealand.
By BILL BROTHERTON
SALEM — Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is winding down in New York City and, once again, normal people are glaring at the designs and declaring “Who the hell would wear that?”
But Christian Siriano, Badgley Mischka, Prabal Gurung and other stars of the NYC show have nothing on the designers displaying their creations at the “WOW World of WearableArt” exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum. Starting today, local fashionistas can ogle and marvel at Peter Wakeman’s “Chica Under Glass,” a glossy hot pink creation that’s made of fiberglass and plywood, David Walker’s incredibly poignant “Beast in the Beauty,” which is made of maple, wood veneers and aluminum, and other otherworldly works of art.
The Peabody Essex is the only east coast venue entrusted with displaying these remarkable ensembles, all wearable artworks from New Zealand’s renowned “WoW” design competition. Using a range of unexpected materials (vinyl! plastic! felt!) these visionaries create extreme, exuberant ensembles that push the limits of wearability and creativity.
“The best review I saw about the WOW competition was ‘It makes Lady Gaga look like a librarian,’” said Lynda Hartigan, PEM’s curator of the exhibition. “These artists are pushing the limits of what you can do as clothing and how design can fundamentally alter the human form.”
For some 30 years, the WOW competition has attracted entries from a disparate international group of artisans — architects, sculptors, costume designers, saddlemakers. The works are unveiled each year at a choreographed awards show in Wellington, New Zealand, for more than 50,000 people. The 32 ensembles in the PEM exhibition have all won awards.
“This is not your typical fashion show. These artists use the body as a blank canvas,” said Hartigan, who adds that these unorthodox artworks are indeed wearable — models parade around in them at the annual show — but it’s unlikely you’ll see anyone in the world wearing similar getups out in public. Even Lady Gaga, whose provocative meat dress drew gasps, would probably find them too wild.
Most of these designs tell individual stories. Lynne Christiansen’s “Gothic Habit” explores spirituality, in the form of 2,300 individual laser-cut pieces of felt and-wood made to resemble Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. “Entering a church puts you in a spiritual state of mind,” said Hartigan. “Christiansen wondered if you would have the same feeling of spirituality” if you actually wore the church.
“American Dream” by Sarah Thomas of New Zealand is whimsical, a chrome and cherry-red sendup of femininity and car-culture. “She realized how often cars are described as female, so she decided to create a sassy car-woman,” said Hartigan.
And there’s a section of “Bizarre Bras” that’ll bring a smile to your face. Support and comfort is not the point here; these are out-there creations. Mark Crocker’s “Hands Off” is made of gleaming kitchen utensils; Wendy Moyer’s “Prickly Heat” is a cactus bra: “Watch out, in Mexico the spines on these babies have earned another name, manca caballo — horse crippler.”
Some are deadly serious. Walker’s devastating “Beast in the Beauty” is a tribute to women living with cancer that explores the ruination cancer treatment has on the body. Radiation symbols replace the figure’s breasts, a blond helmut represents chemo-induced baldness, and a syringe, knife and IV stick out of the figure’s back. It’s striking.
PEM has teamed up with Mass General Cancer Center for “The Scarf Project: Nurturing the Tie Between Art & Healing.” For each scarf, designed by Amesbury artist Bonnie Ashmore, purchased in the PEM gift shop, another will be donated to a patient under care at the Mass General facilities in Boston and Danvers. Hartigan said this community partnership is inspired by the WOW exhibition, which sponsors the Breast Cancer research Fund in New Zealand.
“WOW” is presented as part of PEM’s fashion initiative. It runs through June 11. And while you’re at the museum, beat feet to the blistering ongoing “Shoes: Pleasure and Pain” exhibit that is open until March 12. Many opening day festivities are taking place today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Details at www.PEM.org.
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Bill Brotherton is The Item’s Features editor. He can be reached at [email protected].