Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Nick Cave's Heard NY Part 1

I went to Grand Central Terminal this morning to see Nick Cave's art/performance piece Heard NY. The first time I heard of him was back in 2011 when Mary Boone showed his Soundsuits in Chelsea. I clearly remember feeling that it was one of the highlights of the year for me. Every day this week, twice a day, his magical "heard" of horses are brought to life by Ailey students (of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) to parade, frolic, dance, and enchant the crowd of Grand Central Station commuters (and some New Yorkers in the know). There is a live harpist and drummer, and the effect of everything together is rousing.

I didn't get there early enough to beat the crowd–but drawing the crowd is part of the point! I only have a couple of drawings to share today, but I'll be posting at least a couple more once I have a chance to go back and finish them!


The horse suits waiting for the performers to imbue them with life. Even uninhabited, they project a lifelike presence, without being in the least tied to reality. That's what I love about art: how something can be completely untethered to reality, but feel so true. It's better than real!


The dancers becoming the "heard." Even though you see the transformation happen before your eyes—and you can see that it's as banal as tying on a skirt—it still seems magical once the suit is on.

Part 2 will be coming later in the week, as soon as I've been able to see the performance again. If you're in town, don't miss it! If you can't catch it, I'm posting a youtube video that will perhaps console you.

2 comments:

Sara said...

This is SO beautiful Audrey!! I so much wish I could see this installation ... and this is all because of your amazing drawings and writing! I'd never heard of nick Cave before but this performance piece makes me wonder if I've been living under a rock...how could I not know about this guy?! Luckily I have Audrey Hawkins master illustrator to inform me :) I particularly liked your point on "between spaces" -- I think about this all the time, maybe because so much of the time I feel like I'm between two places... especially on a challenging drawing day, ha! Anyway, thanks again for sharing and talk soon. :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Sara!