Artist Nick Cave's Soundsuits are Halloween costumes on drugs. Who'd have thunk that ordinary textiles could be fashioned into bristling bottle-cap warriors, crunching tree-monsters or furry phallic dancers — sans LSD? At Chicago's School of the Art Institute, Cave teaches the fiber arts program, which gives him license to push the limits of clothing and merge his two passions — fiber and modern dance — into his latest wearable concoctions. It started when he began picking up twigs in a park and designing a full-body suit from his findings. When he got inside the suit and moved, it made rustling sounds, bringing a new dimension to his work. Tonight's discussion with Cave at the Fowler Museum honors the opening of his ongoing exhibit: Nick Cave, Meet Me in the Center of the Earth , which features 35 mixed-media Soundsuits made from found art, such as yarn, sequins, toys and plastic combined with tribal ceremonial ensembles and haute couture. Sat., Jan. 9, lecture 5-6 p.m., party 6-10 p.m. $10 donation, members free. Exhibit opens Jan. 10-May 30.

Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Jan. 9. Continues through May 30, 2010

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