Avant-garde style, technology, and performance converge in a fantastical, joyous competition every year in New Zealand. World of WearableArt is a vibrant multimedia competition established in 1987, which continues to invite entrants from around the world to sew and sculpt their most ambitious garments. Whimsical and technically impressive, many of the works call upon cultural traditions, while others tap into nature, futurism, and the chimerical.
This year’s show is titled GLO!, with Kayla Christensen of New Zealand taking the top prize for her work “Sacred Nightfall,” a spectacularly noble, draped floral garment that nods to Indigenous ceremonial cloaks. Additional standouts include the enigmatic “Enchantress” by Ashish Dhaka and an iridescent insect by Katherine Bertram, among many others. Performances of GLO! continue through October 4 at TBS Arena in Wellington. See more on the program’s site.
Kayla Christensen, (New Zealand), “Sacred Nightfall”
Glenda Hape (Ngāti Pūkeko, New Zealand), “Te Whare Eke Nei”
Katherine Bertram More (New Zealand), “More”
Ashish Dhaka (India), “Enchantress”
Zhiqian Li (China), “Hen”
Lisa Newsome (New Zealand), “Platinum”
Deborah H Carter and Ariel Biagini (United States), Ringing Off the Hook”
Vasemaca Tavola and Czarina Wilson (New Zealand), “MOTHER VAKA”
Shing Hei (Hong Kong Design Institute, Hong Kong), “My Ugly Duckling”
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