Wildest dreams

Suzie Moncrieff’s vision to adorn the moving body with art is now a major show that brings the extraordinary to life.

Twenty one years ago, sculptor Suzie Moncrieff dreamt up the idea of taking art off the wall to adorn the body in a competition to promote an art gallery in her town of Nelson, New Zealand. With a donated prize of $1,000, entries were displayed in an outdoor parade before an eager crowd of 200.

Today, Suzie is the creative director of the Montana World of WearableArt Awards Show – known as WOW – which attracts entries from around the globe, has an annual show season with an audience of over 35,000, and is one of Wellington’s iconic events. With colourful banners hanging from every street post, performers from the show providing entertainment in the city centre and visitors arriving in droves to enjoy the event, the city is alive with WOW fever. Tonight, the show’s most brilliant entries will be awarded, and Suzie has a long, hectic day ahead.

8.30am After working late to prepare for tonight’s crucial show, Suzie stays in bed a little longer than usual. “I’ve been treated to a sleep-in this morning by the team,” she says, “which is very lucky.” She heads to the TSB Bank Arena on Wellington’s picturesque Queens Wharf, where the show has been staged since 2005. For two months of the year, Suzie lives in Wellington for the show season, which runs for a fortnight, but her home is still in the creative community of Nelson, where all planning and development for the competition takes place.

9.45am Suzie has time for a quick cup of coffee and a moment to take in the view before her day officially starts. As she enters the arena, Suzie passes a group of models who are part of the cast, and cheerfully greets them along the way. “They don’t recognise me when I’m looking tidy,” she jokes. ”Usually I’m quite frazzled in the lead-up to the show.”

10am For the next two weeks, Suzie‘s days will be packed with media engagements and meetings, the first of which is with her production management team for a critique of the previous night’s opening performance. This is followed by a session with her management team to plan the day and discuss VIPs and media attending tonight’s highly anticipated show, when the winners will be revealed.

Over the years, the management team has grown to seven, and while Suzie is 100 per cent involved in every aspect of the show, she is quick to praise the talents of those around her. “I don’t think I could do it without them,“ she says. Part of the production team is daughter, Emma, a sculptor and painter who contributes to the script, props and character make-up. The two work together sourcing the music for each production, which Suzie says is one of their great joys. ”Emma’s my right-hand girl,”says Suzie. ”She inspires me.”

11.30am With a dress rehearsal and technical run taking place for one of the show’s segments, Suzie drops in to watch everything in action. Seeing the cast move effortlessly across the 40-metre stage, showing off each creation to best effect, you’d never guess amid the mix of professional models, aerial artists and dancers are everyday people – from children to office workers to grandparents – who have perfected their performance in just six weeks. Suzie makes it a point to attend all rehearsals; here, she’ll observe the choreography and overall creative feel of the show including lighting, design and sound levels – which can change up until the last minute. “Having an audience always makes my hair stand on end,” Suzie explains. ”If it’s not perfect, I’m not happy.”