22 April 2006 will see another of the American artist, Spencer Tunick's giant 'sculptural' installations --- this time in St Sebastien. As with his previous installations, such as this one, which was created in 2003, the exact location where it will be done is kept very secret.
Spencer Tunick's biggest installation of 'a naked crowd' was in Barcelona in June 2003, where he had 7000 willing 'models' ready to take their clothes off for his work of art. He maintains there were people coming from everywhere, wanting to divest themselves of all clothing and be part of his photograph, but as much as he was pleasantly surprised at the numbers, the logistics of working with that many people can be a bit of nightmare and he has no intention of trying to better the record! Seems many people will do anything for the sake of art! Or is it just that little exhibitionist gene lurking under the skin of each of us?
In Lyon, on 11 September 2005, he expected 800 people, but 1800 pitched up at 04:30 in the morning at the agreed location. In Cleveland Ohio there were 2750 in the photograph, and in Melbourne Australia 4300 made up the installation. He has also created installations in Montreal, Vienna, Sao Paolo, Bruges, Caracas - and many more locations. It should be interesting to see how many people pitch up and disrobe for his installation in the very conservative St Sebastien -- between 1500 and 2000 people are expected. If you plan to go, your mother might fear that you would be suffering some sort of post traumatic stress disorder - and be blighted by flashbacks for the rest of my life and your friends may look at you askance, but be assured there will be no small amount of secret envy in each of them that you are actually going to be part of a work of art!
Tunick does not offer any payment to his models -- he does not even promise good warm weather. All he does offer in his lengthy email to the volunteers -- which also contains a consent form, and includes the demands for sobriety and the banning of socks, hats and sunglasses, is a plastic bag in which to put your discarded clothes -- and abandoned dignity, a big car park where you can become naked, and of course a very unique, a very special -- and a very personal experience.In an interesting way, this invitation to people to take part in civic art is a canny way of investing in people, instilling ownership, civic pride and courting cultural awareness. And let's face it --- to be surrounded by hundreds of naked people must be an awesome, overwhelming sight. So many different shapes and sizes, in varying hues, blending into a uniform mass. Ah! and watching people trying to take off their socks and underwear without bending over, is something else!
Spencer Tunick hails from Brooklyn, New York -- a 39-year old, married and with one child.Click on Link:
Chateau Lalinde : The perfect venue for your event
TAGS: Events in a chateau Rent a chateau France Spencer Tunick in France Photography in France Photographic Exhibitions in France
Special Events Chateau Lalinde Perigord Dordogne Holidays in France Wine Tasting in France Activity Holidays
Post Script: There has been some very lively interest shown in this article. (I urge you to go look at the Spencer Tunick forum and get the information you need to go take part this weekend -- and then come back and tell us about the experience!)
One of the many messages I have received is from a man who has actually participated in Spencer Tunick's works of art, and he writes the following:
Hello Red Shoes,
I wish I could afford to travel more. Lyon was my first trip outside the US for Spencer. Our group has about 250 members currently on our new site.Some of our members have traveled extensively to take part in art, though most can afford only the one's nearest home. Spencer did three in Europe last year(Brugge,Belgium -Gateshead-Newcastle,UK - Lyon, France) and some of our group were able to take part in all three. None of our European memebers that I know of were able to make Venezuela in March, though we gained a lot of new members from there. A few of our group plan to tkae part in San Sebastian, but as anything in life, folks have things that stand in the way. For an account of my Lyon adventure see my blog here on Blogger. For accounts of Cleveland, Buffalo, and Milford, PA come join our group at http://www.spencertunickforum.org/
Roger Cross
