To see a video from the art show, click here.
Wood, trash bags, balloons and condoms aren’t your average wardrobe materials.But Saturday night, models walked the runway wearing such objects.  More than 1,400 people gathered at the Louisiana State Museum for the second annual Uncommon Thread Wearable Art Show.The open-air, two-story entryway to the museum was brightly lit to showcase the pieces made by artists from across the nation. After a performance by the LSU Tap Ensemble, the sounds of the LSU Gospel Choir drifted through the crowd from the balcony to start the show. Singing “The Storm is Passing Over,” the song set the tone for the show’s theme, “Force.”Boldly colored dancers moved about the stage area to the beats of DJ Otto, whose music was interspersed with the choir’s acapella songs. The wearable art pieces interpreted the show’s theme with great diversity. From hurricanes to rape to the restrictions of female etiquette, every piece encouraged the audience to consider the idea of force.The first-place winner was Grace Johnston of Richmond, Va., whose piece “Curtsy: Exoskeleton” was a dress made of wood-lined corset and a skirt made of collapsible wooden hoops.She said the skirt was originally a gallery installation, and she altered it to make the piece wearable. As Johnston’s model reached the end of the runway, she pulled two rings near her arms and the skirt collapsed toward her midsection.Chelsea Norris, mass communication sophomore, said she liked Johnston’s piece because of the unexpected movement. “I really like the ones that surprise me,” Norris said. “I like the theatrics.”Second-place winner Kit French is a University sculpture graduate student. Her piece also addressed the constrictions of female dress. Her gathered flesh-colored dress, called “posturing,” was covered with a constricting clear plastic frame that forced the wearer into perfect posture. As the model, French wore a book on her head entitled “A Guide to Elegance” printed in 1965. She said the book inspired her outfit. Her makeup was also a mask-like interpretation of the rules printed in the book.The jurors for the show were Georgia artist Cecelia Kane and Loren Schwerd, University assistant professor of sculpture.Schwerd said wearable art is different from gallery art in that the setting and model have an impact on how the piece is viewed. “It isn’t complete until it’s inhabited,” she said of the pieces. “There’s a performance element to wearable art.”As an artist, Schwerd said it was exciting to see such a large turnout for an unconventional event.”Things will grow from this,” she said. “There is an audience for less conventional presentations of art.”Event director Erin Rolfs, University alumna, said this year the audience and the production itself were bigger than last year.”It was more of a theatrical endeavor,” she said. “I saw more entries that played into the conceptual part of wearable art.”Unlike a regular fashion show, wearable art is a statement by the artist. Rolfs said the pieces aren’t just pretty, they’re also symbolic of the artist’s inspiration.”Some of the best ones are the ones that completely ignored the body and had a form or concept and figured out how to work the body into it,” Rolfs said.For example, the piece by Holly Maynard called “Diaspora” was inspired by sociological effect of dispersion caused by the fading Louisiana coastline. Maynard is a University graduate in environmental science.Her model was from Venice, La., which is located at the very tip of the state. She said she could definitely relate to the piece she was wearing, which included a long PVC pipe extending above her head with white sails attached. “It’s about the forces that pull you away from home,” Maynard said.Her garment was riddled with tiny electronic pieces, such as  computer chips and wires, that signify the use of electronics to remain close to home.Schwerd said the unusual nature of the pieces engages the audience to think about what the artist is trying to convey.”It’s challenging for the audience because they can’t easily categorize it,” said Schwerd. “That’s what we as artists want to do is engage the audience.”- – – -Contact Lauren Walck at [email protected]