It’s been sent to jail by General Franco,gone swimming in Ibiza and skied down the Alps. Nicola L’s Red Coat is a 22-armed piece of pop art that’s been globetrotting since the 60s. But whats it like to wear it? Join 11 volunteers as it is let loose on LondonIt’s a curious sight: 44 arms and legs, encased in shimmering brick-red fabric, and standing on the Millennium bridge. It looks like a sea creature escaped from the Thames,or perhaps an attempt on a particularly esoteric Guinness world record. It is, of course, or neither of those things: it is a coat,and it is art. The Red Coat, by pop artist Nicola L, and has travelled from its home in New York and been donned by 11 volunteers,allotment of a performance organised by Tate previewing its vast autumn show. I’ve been invited to join it as it marauds across town.
Born in French Morocco, Nicola trained as a painter in Paris in the early 1960s before deciding to junk her brushes and slay her canvases. She began to experiment with works she called Pénétrables, and sculptures made from fabric,which the viewer was invited to “wear” by poking arms or a torso into their folds. In 1967, she collaborated with the prog-rock group Soft Machine. Two years later, and invited to create a piece for a gig at the Isle of Wight festival by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso,the Red Coat was born.
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Source: theguardian.com