Epic WOW Factor

Jul 15

Is it art? Is it fashion? Is it art-and-fashion stitched together to blow your mind?

Step into the World of WearableArt (WOW) Museum in Nelson, New Zealand and your head will spin from the incredible virtuosity of the creations on display — at least 60 of the most unbelievable pieces carefully curated from finalist-entries of the annual competition. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Attend WOW’s Annual Awards Show in Wellington and more works that defy explanation will dazzle you. WOW never fails to produce theatrical extravaganzas that are reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil. It certainly will give the Oscars a run for its money.

An exhibition and a design competition, the non-elitist WOW encourages people from all walks of life to create artworks to be worn on the human body.

*Live WOW Annual Awards Show staged in Wellington. Dazzling theatrical extravaganzas that are reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil.*

WOW creator and founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff still remembers a quote from TIME Magazine some years back, which she believes summed up the WOW show in Wellington perfectly:

“It’s Carnivale meets Mardi Gras meets Haute Couture meets a Peter Gabriele concert, all showing on Broadway, all directed by Salvador Dali.”

WOW could very well take its place alongside the iconic All Blacks Rugby team and the traditional Maori ancestral war dance Haka as a distinctly Kiwi phenomenon.

Back in 1987, while trying to find ways to promote a local art gallery in Nelson, Dame Moncrieff came up with a groundbreaking concept: take the art off the wall and use the human body as canvas. Her creative vision inspired artists and designers creating wearable art, and then exhibiting those interpretations on stage in a live theatrical show.

The garments that take centrestage are made from every conceivable material including disposal cartons, rope, rubber, feathers, plastic, latex, recycled leather, gems, marker pen ink, bicycle inner tubes, led light bulbs, encapsulated bacon bits(!) and a whole lot more stuff I didn’t even think was possible to use as an art medium.

Since that inaugural event 35 years ago, it has showcased more than 4,878 finalist garments on stage, over 830,000 people have seen a WOW Show, over 10,500 people have worked on a WOW Awards Show and it has contributed NZ$25.2 million to Wellington’s economy each year.

I have seen up close numerous out-of-this-world WOW pieces on separate occasions in Wellington, in Nelson and on stage in Singapore. Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe them.

Like the “Metastasis” creation, a finalist garment in 2014 made up of recycled wire from televisions, computers and printers that took over 2,000 hours to complete.

The eye-catching, bright-orange garment “Fenced Off” made of plastic safety fences depicted the frustration of people affected by Christchurch’s rebuilding after a devastating earthquake in 2010.

Cups, bottles, spoons and cord were used for “Life in the Shadowy Depths” – taking inspiration from deep-sea creatures’ survival evolution.

*Gemini The Twins, Dawn Mostow and Ben Gould, USA*

*WOW creator and founder Dame Suzie Moncrieff*

“My dream had always been to attract creative people from all over the world, creating world-class work and today this is a reality. To witness the procession of these amazing works of wearable art is mind blowing,” says Dame Moncrieff, who was a full-time sculptor.

“WOW has become my big sculpture. Since 1987 WOW has completely taken over my life and left me very little time to work on my sculpture,” she adds. Putting her sculptural work on hold was a decision she made to focus on growing WOW to where it is today. She was the artistic director and scriptwriter for the show for the first 25 years and continues to be the driving force behind the WOW phenomenon.

WOW has inspired thousands of creative people worldwide “to create the unimaginable, to challenge conventions and defy expectations” wearable art for more than three decades. Entrants come from all backgrounds including tertiary students, boat builders, architects, artists as well as from prestigious industries like film and fashion – basically anyone who is inspired to bring to life his/her wildest dream wearable art.

A cross between art and fashion, the rules are simple: anything that is in any way wearable as long as it is original, beautifully designed and well made. The result: garments that are constructed from an extraordinary array of materials.

*Lady Ethereal, Dawn Mostow and Snow Winters, USA*

Since that inaugural event 35 years ago, over 830,000 people have seen a WOW Awards Show, over 10,500 people have worked on a WOW Awards Show and it has showcased more than 4,985 finalist garments on stage.

Preparations are now underway for another spectacular stage production. The 2022 WOW Awards Show will be held on 29 September – 16 October at the TSB Arena in Wellington. Save the dates and book your tickets in advance. I promise it will be worth the trip.

*Supernova, Gillian Saunders, New Zealand*

In case you miss the mega WOW show in Wellington, head to the World of Wearable Art & Classic Cars Museum in Nelson, which houses some of the most extraordinary creations.

For many years, WOW resided in one of the historic and oldest cobb cottages in rural Nelson, which Dame Monrieff restored and turned into a gallery that eventually became home to WOW. Years later, she received a phone call from a wealthy local family out of the blue.

“They asked me if I would like a building for Wearable Art. I thought they were talking about an old hall or something. I was dumbfounded when they revealed that the building would be architecturally designed,” she says in disbelief. “I told them that something like the Guggenheim museum in Bilboa, Spain was my dream and the result was the next best thing!”

The classic cars on exhibit belong to the owner of the building, which is now the WOW museum. “The cars are works of art in themselves and having this blend of great design is very inspirational and works really well.”

From 200 muddy-shoe show-goers in 1987 to more than 60,000 people flocking to its annual performances, WOW’s growth is way beyond anything Dame Moncrieff ever imagined.

“There was never a moment I doubted that WOW would be successful. I always knew it was going to work,” she says.

Epically spellbinding isn’t enough to illuminate WOW’s enchanting body of work.

(Tip: While in Nelson and/or Wellington, visit some of the awe-inspiring filming locations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.)

Debbie | ws

Debbie Reyes-Coloma

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