WOW: Shakespeare, Spoons and a Good Kiwi Yarn
Poetic inspiration and reflections of the environmental and societal burdens we place on ourselves are some of themes behind the walking wonders of WearableArt from New Zealand designers that will sparkle, spin and speak out at the Montana WOW Awards.
The Montana World of WearableArt™ Awards Show is in its 22nd year and is a world-renowned design and art event attracting ever-growing interest and amazing works of art from across the globe.
A stunning exhibition of creative ingenuity, the Montana WOW Awards Show brings to life artworks designed for the human form, showcasing a near-boundless display of imagination that builds on the anthropological aspiration to be more than we are.
Highlights from the 2010 Montana WOW story so far…
• The 191 garments chosen for the stage is the largest contingent ever
• The level of artistry grows year on year with incredible materials ranging from hundreds of individually styled metal parts to 17,900 metres of yarn.
• One in three garments chosen for the show are from international designers across four continents, including a record 23 from India.
• WOW® designers range from dentists to architects, jewelers to sculptors, fashion designers to business analysts, students and retirees
• Designers compete for $100,000 in prizes including the Supreme Award and the highly coveted Weta Award selected by Oscar-winning designer Sir Richard Taylor
The 2009 Supreme Award was won by an international designer, David Walker from Alaska, who received more than $25,000 in prizes for his classical gown entry Lady of the Wood.
With the initial selection complete the 2010 Montana WOW Awards judging continues on two more occasions in September before opening night on 23 September at TSB Arena in Wellington.
Joining WOW Founder Suzie Moncrieff on the panel this year is New Zealand kinetic sculptor Phil Price, and former fashion designer Doris de Pont who is synonymous with the New Zealand fashion scene.
"The judging process for WOW has been totally captivating,” says Phil Price. “It is a privilege to witness the sophistication of this art genre and the designers are really demonstrating the synthesis of elements that any good design requires. We are seeing really inventive solutions that are playful and intelligent.”
The choreography for the 2010 show will showcase 191 finalists who have been chosen to compete in the Montana WOW Awards Show from an array of more than 300 entrants from all over New Zealand and the world.
International designers from 25 countries submitted entries for the Montana WOW Awards and 61 garments from Germany, Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Mexico, Netherlands, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, and USA were selected to join local entries on the WOW stage.
2001 Supreme Award winner Tarja Pabbruwe and fellow designers Petro van Zijl looked beneath the bed, in the back of the wardrobe and behind the dresser for their inspiration for Trichromatic Hula Sistars Revue. Recycling clothes, belts and bed heads to create the triple piece entry in the Tourism New Zealand Avant Garde Section, The Auckland duo sends a message about letting go of the incessant material clutter we accumulate in a materialist world. “When we do release, we allow the possibility of many freedoms and new ways to be kept in balance and harmony.”
Shakespearean inspiration from Lord and Lady Cawdor of Scotland led Otaki jewellery designer Eve Gilliland to create her American Express Open Section entry in the vein of the Bard’s own words. Named after a Macbeth quote Something Wicked This Way Comes is a remarkable serpentine armour-like construction of metal, crystal and leather. Due to its materials, the garment is one of the heaviest entered this year, and is a reminder of the burden of evil, Gilliland says.
Christchurch’s Mark Crocker has spoons on the brain and revives the theme of a previous WOW entry with Flying Bustresses in the Bizarre Bra® Section. Creating the metallic garment from cooking and dining utensils, leather belts and table mats, Crocker has likely left his kitchen cupboards bare. Comprising eight spoons, two butter knives, two corkscrews and a pair of salt and pepper shakers, the retro-looking contraption is reminiscent of crazy gadgetry from old science fiction novels.
Creating giant toys as a reflection of the simple requirements of special needs children, regular entrant Nelson designer Norelle Kendrick challenged herself to knit every part of her entry in the Mainfreight Duffy Books in Homes Children’s Section: The Magic of Books. Immediately after last year’s show, Kendrick started knitting. Nearly 18,000 metres of yarn and countless knitting marathons later is Toys Are Us, a bouncy playful supersized statement dedicated to those kids who never outgrow their toys.
Bronwyn Knutson’s Flight of the Godwit (Kuaka) pays homage to the human link to the migration of bar-tailed godwits from New Zealand to Alaska and back. The Christchurch human resources manager spent 300 hours on the design and creation of the garment, entered in the Gen-i Creative Excellence Section: The Art of Light, and points to a local love of the itinerant bird flock as hundreds of people farewell them each year from all round the country. Making the garment from polypropylene, wire and rubber, Knutson says the circular design signifies the linking of continents the annual migration achieves.
The effort and inspiration that goes into the incredible garments that make it to the final stage of the Montana WOW Awards is the backbone of the event.
WOW then creatively weaves these painstakingly crafted garments of a world’s worth of designers’ dreams and epiphanies into an eleven show season (including the newly released matinee at 2pm on Saturday 2 October) opening 23 September. This choreographed dramatic live performance is seen by an audience of more than 43,000 people in Wellington, New Zealand’s creative capital and the ultimate place to tell the global story of the weird and wonderful World of WearableArt.
Media Release: Montana World of WearableArt
