Taking part in body art

Quick, what's new at the 16-year-old Montana World of Wearable Art Awards (WOW) this year? The answer is India's presence at the awards ceremony through a contingent led by fashion designer Rohit Bal.

The Fashion Development Council of India (FDCI) is making its debut at WOW, though the Indian designers are not competing this year. But Bal is expected to return with the terms and conditions of the competition in order to facilitate creative entries from India next year.

The WOW awards will be held at Nelson in New Zealand. The week-long competition begins on September 10. Says Kiran Nambiar, Country Manager for Tourism New Zealand Board in India, "WOW is a fashion extravagance wherein the human body is used as a canvas, and what gets mounted are actually works of art."

The objective of the awards, dominated by entries from the US, the UK and Australia all these years, is to attract designers and artists from Asia.

The idea behind WOW, the brain child of a Nelson sculptor Suzie Moncrieff, is to take art off the walls and onto the body for emerging and experienced artists, sculptors and designers.

No creative boundaries have been set for the awards and in the past, entries have included materials as diverse as car parts, fish hooks, business cards, sausage skins, human hair, licorice and salmon skins.

Artists will compete across seven categories like reflective surfaces section and bizarre bra section where the award is to goes to the most creative and witty reinvention of the garment.