In the heart of Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel lobby, a stunning art piece catches the eye of every visitor. This unique creation, made entirely from zippers, is the brainchild of Kate Cusack, a talented jewelry creator who transforms everyday objects into extraordinary works of art. YKK (U.S.A.) Inc. had the pleasure of sponsoring her project with the zippers, and we’re thrilled to share insights from her about the inspiration behind her work, the creative process and her journey as an artist.
Tell us about your art piece. What was the inspiration behind it?
“Infinite Notion/s” is a wall-mounted sculpture commissioned for the Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel. The artwork was created using YKK® brass size #10 zipper chain.
“Infinite Notion/s” captures a feeling of motion and grace in a static form. The gentle swoops and strong directional lines create a sense of harmony and balance within the overall asymmetrical design. My work celebrates innovative elegance by demonstrating there can be joy and beauty in the mundane. Beauty can be found by distilling even the most ordinary material to its basic visual properties: line, color, shape and texture. A metal zipper is just a flexible line and using a line, I can build form and create a feeling of movement.
“Infinite Notion/s” reminds us that there is hidden potential all around us. Value comes from innovation and transformation not just from materials or brands we are told have value like gemstones, precious metal or luxury companies.
I created the title “Infinite Notion/s” to highlight the way the flowing lines of the zipper intertwine continuously with seemingly no end and no beginning. The zipper line seems infinite and endless. Choosing a title is one of the most difficult parts of creating a piece of artwork. In asking for feedback, there were many ideas and interpretations of the artwork. There were similar themes and notions. In the sewing world, zippers are part of a group of items including buttons, ribbons, snaps, etc. that are associated with clothing construction called notions. I like the double meaning in the word that is, technically, the correct designation for the material and it implies an idea.
Can you describe the process of creating this piece? Were there any unique techniques or materials you used?
“Infinite Notion/s” is made up of 23.5 yards or 70.5 feet of a “zipper ribbon” I created. Each yard of “zipper ribbon” is made up of five yards of zipper chain carefully machine stitched together in a specific layered pattern. I needed the visual weight of the line to be substantial to have presence in the space. When the zippers are stitched together, they have a certain structural integrity. Typically, I don’t add any additional structural element in my designs, but for this project, I added one layer of rigilene boning to add more heft to the “zipper ribbon.” Rigilene boning is used in corset making and costume/fashion creation. It felt appropriate to use material that is in keeping with the theme of costume/fashion design construction.
What does this art piece represent to you? What significance does it hold?
This commission is a celebration of my creativity and potential as an artist. I was thrilled to be asked to create a one-of-a-kind sculpture for a public space. This is likely one of the largest pieces of any kind of art that I’ve ever created. It’s very exciting to be given space for the bounds of my creativity to expand. I hope “Infinite Notion/s” guides people to shift their perception of how to find beauty, joy and value in the world around them.
How did the idea for this collaboration come about? What was the process of working together like?
The Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel is located in the Garment District of New York City. This area of Manhattan is full of shops selling and making everything having to do with fashion and costuming. There are entire stores dedicated to ribbons and trim and other stores dedicated to only stretch-fabric. It’s a bustling, exciting part of the city. The interior designers for the hotel were inspired by the location and wanted to commission artwork with a nod to the Garment District.
The interior designers enlisted the expertise of nAscent Art New York, a company that finds art solutions for spaces. Jen Wallace, one of the co-founders, was familiar with my art-jewelry and made the leap that the essence of my jewelry designs could be translated to the wall as fine art. We discussed the various styles of my Zipper Jewelry and mapped out a plan of how to scale this from jewelry for the body to, as Jen Wallace noted “jewelry for the wall.” After discussions, sketches and sample making, we had a direction to follow.
Because the overall design would be informed by the material and my creative process, there wasn’t a final sketch that I was working off of. I credit the team at nAscent for trusting my process and taking a leap of faith. In one of our early meetings, they reported that the interior designers said they were confident they would be happy with anything I created. As an artist, it feels wonderful to feel such support and trust from a client.
As most projects do, it took longer than expected. It’s difficult to know how long something will take that has never been done before. We stayed in touch and checked in along the process. When it came time to discuss how to install the artwork, the team at nAscent offered their expertise and suggested a solution that we ended up using for the final rigging method.
How did our product contribute to the creation of the art piece? Why was it important for this project?
In planning this project, I knew I needed to be working with high-quality materials, and I immediately thought of YKK. I estimated that I would need around 100 yards of zippers and was happy to hear that YKK would sponsor the project through a donation of zippers. The size of the piece was dictated by the quantity of zipper chain that was available. I often find that constraints help guide creativity and in this case the limitation of zipper chain informed the size of the artwork.
Could you describe the hotel and the specific location where the art piece will be displayed?
My artwork greets the hotel guests in the lobby behind the reception desk. I imagine as guests are waiting for the hotel staff to pull up their reservations, the guests can get lost in the lines of my artwork.
What impact do you anticipate the piece will have on hotel guests?
In a world when we are so busy and always looking at a screen, the artwork will offer a place of intrigue and hopefully inspiration to the guests.
What does this project mean to you personally and professionally?
It’s such a challenge to create something that has never been done before. The development process was based on my experience in jewelry design, costume design/construction and my scenic design training. I pulled from these parts of my artistic experience and they informed the process and the design.
This commission marks the beginning of a whole new direction for me as an artist. I’m so excited to make more wall-mounted sculptures in various sizes and styles. I’m planning on pursuing modular creations so that an overall design could be made up of multiple sculptures to suit the needs of the space. I can imagine new creations being installed in homes and in public spaces. As with the zipper itself, the possibilities are infinite.
Kate Cusack’s zipper art piece is more than just a visual delight; it’s a testament to creativity, resourcefulness, and the beauty of repurposing everyday items. YKK is honored to have contributed to this project and look forward to seeing more of her innovative creations in the future.
Photographs by Kate Cusack and nAscent. Used with permission.
Kate Cusack Instagram: @instakatecusack / Facebook: @katecusackzipperjewelry
Art placement by nAscent @nascentartny
Hotel @rennycmidtown
