Photographer Spencer Tunick (note: NSFW) came to Sydney at the invitation of New Mardi Gras and as a result, more than 2,000 people turned up at the Opera House this morning at 4 a.m. to get their kit off and stand around for about three hours. We had to wait for the sun to come up, which it was slow to do, a grey, cold morning, made rosier by the blushing. I've been colder in Sydney, but not by much.
It was an odd thing to do, I suppose, but interesting insofar as human behavior goes. I was a little surprised by the numbers of groups there were, not just couples, but four or five people, college students and the like, all about to become just that much more intimate with one another. It got a little uncomfortable when were directed to embrace and kiss, especially as the guy I was standing next to was a good head taller than me.
Somehow it was even less comfortable once we went inside the theatre, which is perhaps why one woman left in tears and one was booed into disrobing. (I rather like the idea of one dressed person; I'd have left her alone.)
It must be said, however, that it's obvious why Mr. Tunick is a photographer: he has zero verbal skills and minimal management skills. "This group here"; "you, with the tan lines"; "this way"; "that way" - these are not useful directions. Dude, take the picture, please.
Correction: 5,200 people.
7 comments:
He says he's not a photographer so much as an installation artist-- the photographs document the installation, but are not an end in themselves. Funny that your Tunick experience was chilly-- one of the things that was so nice about mine was how clement the weather was.
I thought the experience was funny and fun-- it sounds like yours was somewhat less so.
Oh, everybody had a great time. There was much cheering and cheerfulness. Being outdoors was an opportunity for news helicopters to document the proceedings, but everybody waved and laughed. There was a lot of joking around - when we turned our backs, the comment that all our gear would be gone in moment was rife (but there was only one moment, not visible to me, when Tunick asked for security to intervene). I just thought he whinged a lot and really could have managed the proceedings more effectively. It's not like anyone was at any time uncooperative. Just say what you want and take the picture. How hard is it?
Well, again, it's more about the experience I think-- and for Tunick about the logistics and management of the installation. Apparently he does it wherever he goes, all the time.
What is it with you Altreuters and getting nekkid in public?
for the life of me, I can see absolutely nothing of value in a. the resultant photos or b. wanting to cooperate with this "artist" in doing this nutty thing. that two of my very own sons would choose to do it is amazing and rather appalling. But I guess it's just another case of whatever...
That astonishes me. I don't understand how anyone could see the video or the photos and not see how beautiful it looks. It was fun to do because it seems transgressive, but once you are in it you realize that it is an aesthetic experience at least as much as it is a titillating one, although I am certainly not denying the titillation aspect.
It is astonishingly affecting, but I didn't experience it as having any sort of eroticism or titillation. It was communal, if ephemeral, and indeed beautiful to see. The final pose was even dramatic.
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