This lecture at Reed tonight is kind of a big deal. Performance/visual artist Nick Cave is best known for his “sound suits,” like the one pictured above:

Nick Cave created his first Sound Suit in 1991 as a response to the
beating of Rodney King in Los Angeles the same year. Cave was both
horrified and fascinated by the event, specifically by the LAPD’s
descriptions of King, which characterized him as an unpredictable,
threatening beast. Cave’s first Sound Suit consisted of a huge swarm
of twigs; it surrounded his body like a talismanic buffer, rustling as
he moved. Cave has since made hundreds of performative
sculptures—floating worlds exploring cultural politics, identity,
masquerade, and spiritual presence. For Cave, the Sound Suits
reference the past as much as the present, embodying African American
history and his personal experiences as a black male. Cave inserts his
artistic investigations into public spaces, creating happenings in
which groups of people wearing Sound Suits mysteriously appear and
interrupt daily life. —Stephanie Snyder

Nick Cave
Friday, February 15, 6:30 p.m.
Vollum Lecture Hall, Reed College
Followed by a reception at with the artist the Cooley Gallery from
8:00-10:00 p.m