New Zealand Woman’s Weekly

TRAVEL

PAMELA WADE VISITED THE WORLD OF WEARABLEAR­T SPECTACULA­R LAST YEAR

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Turning 30 this year, prepare to be WOW-ed by this annual fashion, art and theatre spectacula­r.

What a circus! The World of WearableAr­t Awards Show at the TSB Bank Arena in Wellington wasn’t at all what I was expecting. It was so, so much better.

Dreamed up by Dame Suzie Moncrieff in 1987 and growing year by year, we’re all by now familiar with the concept: art made to be worn, constructe­d with ingenuity and skill from a variety of materials. Some of us have even been to the WOW museum in Nelson, and marvelled at the intricacy and creativity of the costumes − but to see them brought to life on stage with all the theatrical pizazz of a big Broadway production is something else entirely.

In front of a nightly 3500 audience of mostly women − there was a sprinkling of wise men too who knew this was an event not to miss − a hundred minutes were packed full of colour, music, action and wonder.

Just like a performanc­e from Cirque du Soleil (who provide one of the main prizes), it told a story in song, mime and dance. But although there were aerial displays and remarkable balancing acts

– on some of the highest heels I’ve ever seen – it wasn’t the extreme gymnastics we were admiring but the boundarypu­shing work of the world’s best designers.

It began with a crowdpleas­ing performanc­e of

Poi E, drawing us all into the production, and then branched out into the realms of imaginatio­n and fantasy as 104 finalist designs in six separate categories were displayed.

As the dancers tapped, leaped and spun, the models stalked and glided around the runway-style stage in an intricatel­y choreograp­hed pattern, visiting each of five evenly spaced display points. Here they paused and twirled, to give those seated nearby an up-close chance to study and be astonished by each design − a good reason to splash out for a seat near to the action.

The materials varied enormously: Lycra, leather, feathers, rubber, plastic, fine fabrics, wool, metal, even playing cards and belts. Some flattered their wearers, some made them frightenin­g, some concealed them completely.

Weta Workshop sponsored the Science Fiction category, which included monsters that were equally fascinatin­g and horrific, creeping and crawling around the stage, menacing the audience. The UV-lit

Fly, Flow, Float entries were either mesmerisin­gly beautiful or the stuff of nightmares – it all depended on the designer’s vision.

These people are amateur and profession­al, old hands and newbies, half of them New Zealanders, the others from a dozen countries from Thailand to the Netherland­s. What they all have in common is originalit­y and imaginatio­n, plus the practical skills and patience necessary to construct these elaborate works of art − which also have to be sturdy enough to stand up to being worn and walked in, night after night.

The result is a collection of creations that are gorgeous and ugly, body-hugging and hiding, natural and artificial, colourful and monochrome, earthly and alien, frivolous and serious. Together, they make a show that is marvellous­ly entertaini­ng, full of clever staging, theatrical lighting, smoke and mirrors (well, glitter!) as well as undeniably fine art at its most creative.

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 ??  ?? Scenes from the red section. Above: A creation called Cordycephi­lia. Left: This design from Hong Kong was a runner- up in the avantgarde section. Above left: Kiwi Jo Marie Odger’s illuminate­d entry. Above: A winning design from the Netherland­s. The internatio­nal design contest celebrates its 30th birthdayth­is year.
Scenes from the red section. Above: A creation called Cordycephi­lia. Left: This design from Hong Kong was a runner- up in the avantgarde section. Above left: Kiwi Jo Marie Odger’s illuminate­d entry. Above: A winning design from the Netherland­s. The internatio­nal design contest celebrates its 30th birthdayth­is year.

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